Meaning of topic in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈtɑpɪk/

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  1. Noun

    topic

    Etymology

    late 15th century (originally denoting a set or book of general rules or ideas): from Latin topica, from Greek ta topika, literally ‘matters concerning commonplaces’ (the title of a treatise by Aristotle), from topos‘a place’

    Definitions

    1. the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

    Examples

    • « he didn't want to discuss that subject »
    • « it was a very sensitive topic »
    • « his letters were always on the theme of love »
  2. 2. some situation or event that is thought about

    Examples

    • « he kept drifting off the topic »
    • « he had been thinking about the subject for several years »
    • « it is a matter for the police »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « The death of a beautiful woman, is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world. »
    Edgar Allan Poe
  • « Food was a constant topic of conversation in our household. »
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  • « As you know, the thing that I know the least about is the topic of sports. »
    John Hodgman
  • « It's been mentioned or suggested that Paradise will not be well studied, because it's about this unimportant intellectual topic, which is religion. »
    Toni Morrison
  • « I didn't appreciate the young woman that I was, or my young beauty, because I was so obsessed with the fact that I felt fat. It's never good to add to anybody else's suffering. It's an important topic to really get the gravity and the importance of - dealing with dignity. »
    Margaret Cho

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