Wording

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The specific selection and arrangement of words used to articulate an idea or sentiment
2. The unique combination and order of language that convey a particular message or intention
3. The particular choice and structure of words that expresses a specific thought or feeling

Etymology: The noun "wording" is simply the gerund-style noun formed from "word" plus the "-ing" ending, used to mean the particular choice of words in which something is expressed. The sense is an ordinary, transparent one: the wording of a contract is the exact phrasing of its clauses, and the wording of a poem is the arrangement of its language. The more interesting story lies in the base word. "Word" descends from Old English "word," which goes back through Proto-Germanic "wurdą" to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to say, speak." That same root produced the Latin "verbum," the source of "verb," as well as Greek "eírō," meaning "to say, speak, tell." English "word" and Latin "verbum" are thus distant relatives, and "verb," "verve" and "vort" are doublets of the same ancient stem, each having entered the language by a different route.

Synonyms: phrasing, expression, terminology, verbiage, language

Antonyms: silence, inarticulateness, vagueness, ambiguity, obscurity