Definition of: semantics

(si·man′tiks) noun plural (construed as singular)
1. Ling. The study of the meanings of speech forms, especially of the development and changes in meaning of words and word groups.
2. Logic The relation between signs or symbols and what they signify or denote: also called semasiology, semiotics. Compare GENERAL SEMANTICS.
3. Loosely, verbal trickery, especially by adulteration or shift of meaning within a word; amphibology.