expression

[ik-spresh-uh n] /ɪkˈsprɛʃ ən/
noun
1.
the act of expressing or setting forth in words:
the free expression of political opinions.
2.
a particular word, phrase, or form of words:
old-fashioned expressions.
3.
the manner or form in which a thing is expressed in words; wording; phrasing:
delicacy of expression.
4.
the power of expressing in words:
joy beyond expression.
5.
indication of feeling, spirit, character, etc., as on the face, in the voice, or in artistic execution:
the lyric expression embodied in his poetry.
6.
a look or intonation expressing personal reaction, feeling, etc.:
a shocked expression.
7.
the quality or power of expressing an attitude, emotion, etc.:
a face that lacks expression; to read with expression.
8.
the act of expressing or representing, as by symbols.
9.
Mathematics. a symbol or a combination of symbols representing a value, relation, or the like.
10.
Linguistics. the stylistic characteristics of an utterance (opposed to meaning).
11.
Linguistics. the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (opposed to content).
12.
the act of expressing or pressing out.
13.
Computers. a combination of variables, constants, and functions linked by operation symbols and any required punctuation that describe a rule for calculating a value.
14.
Genetics.
  1. the action of a gene in the production of a protein or a phenotype.
  2. expressivity (def 2).
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English < Latin expressiōn- (stem of expressiō) a pressing out. See express, -ion
Related forms
expressional, adjective
expressionless, adjective
expressionlessly, adverb
preexpression, noun
reexpression, noun
superexpression, noun
Synonyms
1. utterance, declaration, assertion, statement. 2. term, idiom. See phrase. 3. language, diction, phraseology. 5. manifestation, sign. 6. aspect, air.
Examples from the web for expression
  • Menacing body posture can be as threatening as a frightening facial expression, according to new research.
  • Body position, movement, and facial expression often convey a strong message.
  • Tests showed that the resultant semi-synthetic strains had apparently normal growth rates, colony appearance and gene expression.
  • And each has her own, unremitting facial expression.
  • The scientists evaluated the children's facial expression skills at the start of the study, and again one month later.
  • Individualism, creative expression and a penchant for taking risks are characteristics of action sports.
  • We recognize emotions from sadness to disgust more readily on our own faces than in the same expressions made by others.
  • It's no surprise then, that a new generation of talented artists has adopted these machines as a medium for creative expression.
  • For this to happen, freedom of expression is essential.
  • The hulking man's expression was stern.
British Dictionary definitions for expression

expression

/ɪkˈsprɛʃən/
noun
1.
the act or an instance of transforming ideas into words
2.
a manifestation of an emotion, feeling, etc, without words: tears are an expression of grief
3.
communication of emotion through music, painting, etc
4.
a look on the face that indicates mood or emotion: a joyful expression
5.
the choice of words, phrases, syntax, intonation, etc, in communicating
6.
a particular phrase used conventionally to express something: a dialect expression
7.
the act or process of forcing or squeezing out a liquid
8.
(maths) a variable, function, or some combination of constants, variables, or functions
9.
(genetics) the effect of a particular gene on the phenotype
Derived Forms
expressional, adjective
expressionless, adjective
expressionlessly, adverb
Word Origin and History for expression
n.

early 15c., "action of pressing out;" later (mid-15c.) "action of manifesting a feeling;" (late 15c.) "a putting into words," from Middle French expression (14c.), from Late Latin expressionem (nominative expressio), noun of action from past participle stem of exprimere (see express (v.)). Meaning "an action or creation that expresses feelings" is from 1620s. Of the face, from 1774. Occasionally the word also was used literally, for "the action of squeezing out."

expression in Medicine

expression ex·pres·sion (ĭk-sprěsh'ən)
n.

  1. The act of pressing or squeezing out.

  2. The outward manifestation of a mood or disposition by mobility of the facial features; facies.

  3. The phenotype manifested by a genotype under fixed environmental conditions.

expression in Technology

programming
Any piece of program code in a high-level language which, when (if) its execution terminates, returns a value. In most programming languages, expressions consist of constants, variables, operators, functions, and parentheses. The operators and functions may be built-in or user defined. Languages differ on how expressions of different types may be combined - with some combination of explicit casts and implicit coercions.
The syntax of expressions generally follows conventional mathematical notation, though some languages such as Lisp or Forth have their own idiosyncratic syntax.
(2001-05-14)