Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Interpretive; explanatory.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of interpretation or exegesis; explanatory; exegetical: as, hermeneutic theology (that is, the art of expounding the Scriptures).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Unfolding the signification; of or pertaining to interpretation; exegetical; explanatory

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective That explains, interprets, illustrates or elucidates

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective interpretive or explanatory

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek hermēneutikos, from hermēneutēs, interpreter, from hermēneuein, to interpret, from hermēneus, interpreter.]

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Examples

  • The second type of human/technology relation is what he calls hermeneutic (p. 80).

    Phenomenological Approaches to Ethics and Information Technology Introna, Lucas 2005

  • I am interested in hermeneutic theory, particularly as developed by philosophers such as Hans Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur, with an emphasis in my recent work on how questions of interepretation intersect with questions of ethics.

    Hermeneutics for Sophomores 2003

  • It is a so-called hermeneutic insight and every new such insight is supported by our past observational experience.

    The Idea of Design in Nature: Science or Phenomenology? By Jakob Wolf William Harryman 2009

  • The so-called hermeneutic circle--to understand the whole, you have to grasp the parts, which changes your perception of the whole; to understand a part, you have to grasp the whole, which changes your perception of the part--was not a ceaseless flux.

    enowning enowning 2007

  • The so-called hermeneutic circle--to understand the whole, you have to grasp the parts, which changes your perception of the whole; to understand a part, you have to grasp the whole, which changes your perception of the part--was not a ceaseless flux.

    Archive 2007-12-01 enowning 2007

  • This approach to history may be described as hermeneutic; but it is focused on interpretation of large historical features rather than the interpretation of individual meanings and actions.

    Philosophy of History Little, Daniel 2007

  • When the Other is homosexual, the notion of hermeneutic encounter drops from the scene.

    Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog: 2005

  • In his last period Royce embraced what may be called a hermeneutic epistemology.

    Josiah Royce Parker, Kelly A. 2004

  • There is this word hermeneutic, which I have used on more than one occasion used in this sentence.

    Stones Cry Out Mark O. 2010

  • There is this word hermeneutic, which I have used on more than one occasion used in this sentence.

    Pseudo-Polymath Mark 2010

Comments

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  • Ken Wilber uses this word in relation to his "intersubjective" dynamic: the operative principle in how the "I" and "you" become a "we" by mutual understanding...which KW characterizes as a "bloody miracle".

    July 24, 2007