Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A set of literary or artistic principles or assumptions on which a creative work is based: "He worked outward from the donnée toward the expression of some general theme or idea” ( Hugh Honour).
- n. A set of notions, facts, or conditions that governs and shapes an act or a way of life: "His heart, his mind, his body, composed the donnée of his life” ( Louis Auchincloss).
Etymologies
French, from feminine past participle of donner, to give, from Old French, from Latin dōnāre; see donate.
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)Examples
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There had been something in the man's eyes-something inhuman-that made Jason think he was capable of anything.
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