GIVEN
What does "GIVEN" mean?
Specified, assumed, or granted as a basis for reasoning; the past participle of give.
Meanings
- Specified or particular; already fixed or named. On any given day the office is half empty.
- Taking into account; considering. Given the weather, we cancelled the hike.
- Something assumed or accepted as fact without proof. In this town, rain in November is a given.
- Past participle of 'give': to have handed over or granted. She had given him every chance.
Did you know?
- When mathematicians say 'a given', they're translating Latin 'datum' - literally 'a thing given' - which is also the root of the word 'data'.
Word origin
Past participle of 'give', from Old English 'giefan' (to give); the logical and mathematical sense of 'a given' is a translation of Latin 'datum', literally 'something given'.
Remember it
GIVEN = GIVE + N; it's the form of 'give' you reach for after 'have', as in 'have given'.
A little poem
We argue hard from premises we've never weighed-
the deepest lies are simply the givens we obeyed.
couplet
Wordplay
- Why did the mathematician trust the assumption completely? It was, by definition, a given.
What it teaches
Question your givens; the assumptions you never examine quietly decide every conclusion you reach.
Quick facts
What does GIVEN mean?
Specified, assumed, or granted as a basis for reasoning; the past participle of give.
Is GIVEN a valid word?
Yes — GIVEN is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is GIVEN?
GIVEN has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does GIVEN come from?
Past participle of 'give', from Old English 'giefan' (to give); the logical and mathematical sense of 'a given' is a translation of Latin 'datum', literally 'something given'.
What can GIVEN teach us?
Question your givens; the assumptions you never examine quietly decide every conclusion you reach.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.