exposition

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A setting forth of meaning or intent.
2. n. A statement or rhetorical discourse intended to give information about or an explanation of difficult material.
3. n. The art or technique of composing such discourses.
4. n. Music The first part of a composition in sonata form that introduces the themes.
5. n. Music The opening section of a fugue.
6. n. The part of a play that provides the background information needed to understand the characters and the action.
7. n. An act or example of exposing.
8. n. A public exhibition or show, as of artistic or industrial developments.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of exposing, uncovering, making bare, revealing, laying out to or bringing into view, or the state of being exposed or brought clearly into view.
2. n. An exhibition or show, as of the products of art and manufacture.
3. n. The act of exposing to danger; exposure.
4. n. The act of expounding; an extended explication, as of a doctrine; a detailed explanation, as of a passage or book of Scripture.
5. n. In logic, the making clear of any general relation by means of an indeterminate supposition of an individual case: a translation of the Greek ε%148κθεσις as used by Aristotle. This is the ordinary mode of demonstration in mathematics.
6. n. Openness of situation as regards some direction or point of the compass; exposure.
7. n. In music: The act, process, or result of presenting or enunciating the themes or subjects of a composition.
8. n. Specifically, the opening section of a fugue or a sonata, in which the subject or subjects are first set forth: often called the exposition section.
9. n. That sort of setting forth of a purpose or general idea which consists in showing how the purpose or idea will apply to particular cases.

Wiktionary

1. n. The action of exposing something to something, such as skin to the sunlight.
2. n. The action of putting something out to public view; for example in a display or show.
3. n. The act of declaring or describing something through either speech or writing.
4. n. obsolete The act of expulsion, or being expelled, from a place.
5. n. writing An essay or speech in which any topic is discussed in detail.
6. n. writing An opening section in fiction, including novel, play, and movie, by which background information about the characters, events, or setting is conveyed.
7. n. music The opening section of a fugue; the opening section of a movement in sonata form

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of exposing or laying open; a setting out or displaying to public view.
2. n. The act of expounding or of laying open the sense or meaning of an author, or a passage; explanation; interpretation; the sense put upon a passage; a law, or the like, by an interpreter; hence, a work containing explanations or interpretations; a commentary.
3. n. obsolete Situation or position with reference to direction of view or accessibility to influence of sun, wind, etc.; exposure.
4. n. A Gallicism A public exhibition or show, as of industrial and artistic productions.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a collection of things (goods or works of art etc.) for public display
2. n. a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic
3. n. an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse
4. n. (music) the section of a movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes first occur