rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycontextSurrounding information or circumstances
noun

context

KAHN-tekst/ˈkɑːntekst/

Information or circumstances that help explain the meaning of something.

The stage lights provide context showing that the apparent fight is a rehearsal.

A single wide scene reveals that what appears to be a white woman raising a fist toward a Black man is actually both actors rehearsing on a small stage, with a director observing from a chair and visible stage lights.
Etymology
conLatintogether, with
+textLatinto weave

The roots picture weaving things together into a connected whole. Applied first to writing and its connected passages, this image helps explain how surrounding information contributes to the meaning of one part.

In context

AI and I4:16
Notice how the surrounding words lit and played completely change the sense of a match. And that's the power of context in resolving homonyomy.
Homonymy

More examples

  • Read the whole paragraph for context.
  • Her remark sounded different in its original context.
  • The historian supplied the political context of the letter.

Forms

context

Similar words

background
Supporting information that may be more distant from the immediate situation.
setting
Setting emphasizes the time, place, or environment rather than relevant explanatory information.