Undefined
/ˌʌndɪˈfaɪnd/
Definitions
2 meaningsNot clearly stated, explained, or limited; not precisely known or determined.
/ˌʌndɪˈfaɪnd/
Not clearly explained or identified.
The rules of the game were initially undefined.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying to describe a new toy to your friend, but you can't quite explain what it does. It’s like the toy's actions are undefined—not yet clearly understood!
👶 For kids: Something is undefined when we don't know what it means.
More Examples
The future of the company remained undefined after the merger.
In the context of the discussion, the term 'justice' was left undefined.
How It's Used
"The boundaries of the project remained undefined for several weeks."
"Division by zero is mathematically undefined."
"The variable was undefined, leading to a runtime error."
Lacking a specific value or meaning; not initialized.
/ˌʌndɪˈfaɪnd/
Not having a value or meaning assigned.
If a variable is undefined in the code, it may lead to errors.
💡 Simply: Imagine a blank spot in a game where you're supposed to write your name, but no one has filled it in yet. That blank spot is undefined. It hasn't been given a value.
👶 For kids: It's like something is missing a value or a name.
More Examples
The outcome of the experiment remained undefined until the final analysis.
The state of the economy was undefined due to changing market forces.
How It's Used
"The variable was undefined in the scope of the function."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
undefined behavior
In computer science, the result of executing a piece of code whose behavior is not prescribed by the language standard.
"Accessing an element outside of the array's bounds can lead to undefined behavior in C++."
From 'un-' (not) + 'defined'. Defined comes from the Latin 'definire', meaning 'to set limits' or 'to explain'. Thus, undefined literally means 'not limited' or 'not explained'.
The use of 'undefined' has grown alongside the development of modern science and computer science where precise terms are crucial. Historically, it's been used to describe boundaries and limits.
Memory tip
Think of a map with no borders drawn. Everything is undefined.
Practice
Word Origin
Root: finire (to end, to limit)