TOPIC
What does "TOPIC" mean?
The subject of a discussion, piece of writing, or thought.
Meanings
- A matter dealt with in a text, conversation, or argument; a subject. The teacher changed the topic before anyone could object.
- In rhetoric and logic, a standard line of argument or commonplace used to develop a case. Aristotle catalogued the topics a speaker could draw on to persuade. technical
Did you know?
- A 'topic' was originally a 'place': Aristotle's 'Topica' treated arguments as commonplaces - mental locations a speaker could visit to find a point.
Word origin
From Greek 'ta topika', 'matters concerning commonplaces', the title of Aristotle's treatise, from 'topos', meaning 'place'; via Latin 'topica' into English.
Remember it
A TOPIC is a 'place' you put your thoughts - from Greek 'topos', the same root as topography (the mapping of places).
A little poem
Every subject is a room we choose to enter;
the topic is the door, the talk the center.
couplet
Wordplay
- I tried to write about ointments, but I couldn't stay on topic - it kept getting topical.
What it teaches
Pick the topic with care: a conversation can only travel as far as the place it begins.
Quick facts
What does TOPIC mean?
The subject of a discussion, piece of writing, or thought.
Is TOPIC a valid word?
Yes — TOPIC is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is TOPIC?
TOPIC has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does TOPIC come from?
From Greek 'ta topika', 'matters concerning commonplaces', the title of Aristotle's treatise, from 'topos', meaning 'place'; via Latin 'topica' into English.
What can TOPIC teach us?
Pick the topic with care: a conversation can only travel as far as the place it begins.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.