--- title: "1 Defined Word Quotes By Mort W. Lumsden" description: "1 Defined Word quotes by Mort W. Lumsden. Plus more from Mort W. Lumsden and more Defined Word sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mort-w-lumsden-39980_contradiction_fv-annandale-defines-definition-as-an-ex_2821057.jpg" --- > [“FV: Annandale defines 'definition' as "an explanation of the signification of a term." Yet Oxford, on the other hand, defines it as "a statement of the precise meaning of a word." A small, perhaps negligible difference you might think. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/fv-annandale-defines-definition-as-an-explanation-of-the/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/mort-w-lumsden-39980_contradiction_fv-annandale-defines-definition-as-an-ex_2821057.jpg) ## More by Mort W. Lumsden > [“Don't most astrophysicists now predict some "end of the line" - an end to it all? Not just the death of things, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/don-t-most-astrophysicists-now-predict-some-end-of-the-line-an-end-to/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“FV: Hasn't all art, in a way, submitted to words - reduced itself to the literary...admitted its failure through all the catalogues and criticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/fv-hasn-t-all-art-in-a-way-submitted-to-words-reduced-itself-to-the/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“Don't you find it odd that two of the foremost symptoms of insanity are the hearing voices and talking to oneself? Is it any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/don-t-you-find-it-odd-that-two-of-the-foremost-symptoms-of-insanity/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“There's actually a sort of comfort in the belief that things can only get worse. It gives one an appreciation for the here-and-now, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/there-s-actually-a-sort-of-comfort-in-the-belief-that-things-can-only/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“We know there are colours in the spectrum untranslatable to our eyes; sounds beyond the range of our hearing; sensations beyond the tolerance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/we-know-there-are-colours-in-the-spectrum-untranslatable-to-our-eyes/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“The topics which language limits us to aren’t much worth discussing in the first place. (attrib: F.L. Vanderson)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/the-topics-which-language-limits-us-to-aren-t-much-worth-discussing/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“Isn't one of the first lessons of good elocution that there's nothing one can say in any rambling, sprawling rant that can't, through some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/isn-t-one-of-the-first-lessons-of-good-elocution-that-there-s-nothing/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“The problem with living forever, of course, is you have to live forever before you know you're immortal...or invincible. Even the gods, in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/the-problem-with-living-forever-of-course-is-you-have-to-live-forever/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“FV: Annandale defines 'definition' as "an explanation of the signification of a term." Yet Oxford, on the other hand, defines it as "a statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/fv-annandale-defines-definition-as-an-explanation-of-the/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“Those who can't, and can't teach, translate. (attrib: F.L. Vanderson)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/those-who-can-t-and-can-t-teach-translate-attrib-f-l-vanderson/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) > [“Anything you try to quantify can be divided into any number of "anythings," or become the thing - the unit - itself. And what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-w-lumsden/anything-you-try-to-quantify-can-be-divided-into-any-number-of/) [Mort W. Lumsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-w-lumsden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined-word/mort-w-lumsden/#itemlist", "name": "1 Defined Word Quotes By Mort W. 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And we still haven't considered what Collins here...or Gage, or Funk and Wagnalls might have to say about it. Off on enough tangents and you're eventually led completely off track. ML: Or around in circles. FV: Precisely! ML: Oxford, though, is generally considered the authority, isn't it? FV: Well, it's certainly the biggest...the most complete. But then, that truly is your vicious circle - every word defined...every word in every definition defined...around and around in an infinite loop. Truly a book that never ends. A concise or abridged dictionary may, at least, have an out... ML: I wonder, then, what the smallest possible \"complete dictionary\" would be? Completely self-contained, that is, with every word in every definition accounted for. How many would that be, do you suppose? Or, I guess more importantly, which ones? FV: Well, that brings to mind another problem. You know that Russell riddle about naming numbers?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mort W. 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