SYSTEM

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does system mean? 

• SYSTEM (noun)
  The noun SYSTEM has 9 senses:

1. instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity

2. a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole

3. (physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium

4. a complex of methods or rules governing behavior

5. an organized structure for arranging or classifying

6. a group of physiologically or anatomically related organs or parts

7. a procedure or process for obtaining an objective

8. the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole

9. an ordered manner; orderliness by virtue of being methodical and well organized

  Familiarity information: SYSTEM used as a noun is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SYSTEM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the system consists of a motor and a small computer

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

instrumentality; instrumentation (an artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some end)

Meronyms (parts of "system"):

infrastructure; substructure (the basic structure or features of a system or organization)

module (a self-contained component (unit or item) that is used in combination with other components)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

communication system (a system for communicating)

audio system; sound system (a system of electronic equipment for recording or reproducing sound)

synchromesh (an automotive system for shifting gears in which the gears revolve at the same speed and so shift smoothly)

sprinkler system (a system for extinguishing fires; water from a network of overhead pipes is released through nozzles that open automatically with the rise in temperature)

solar thermal system (a system that converts sunlight into heat)

shipboard system (a system designed to work as a coherent entity on board a naval ship)

selsyn; synchro (a system consisting of a generator and a motor so connected that the motor will assume the same relative position as the generator; the generator and the motor are synchronized)

security system ((computing) a system that enforces boundaries between computer networks)

scaffolding; staging (a system of scaffolds)

resonator (any system that resonates)

propulsion system (a system that provides a propelling or driving force)

network (a system of intersecting lines or channels)

electronic network; network ((electronics) a system of interconnected electronic components or circuits)

navigational system (a system that provides information useful in determining the position and course of a ship or aircraft)

mechanical system (a system of elements that interact on mechanical principles)

lockage (a system of locks in a canal or waterway)

ADP system; ADPS; automatic data processing system; computer system; computing system (a system of one or more computers and associated software with common storage)

containment ((physics) a system designed to prevent the accidental release of radioactive material from a reactor)

control system (a system for controlling the operation of another system)

data system; information system (system consisting of the network of all communication channels used within an organization)

drainage system (a system of watercourses or drains for carrying off excess water)

exhaust; exhaust system (system consisting of the parts of an engine through which burned gases or steam are discharged)

EDS; explosive detection system (a rapid automatic system to detect plastic explosives in passengers' luggage using X-ray technology and computers; designed for use in airports)

ETD; explosive trace detection (a system for screening luggage in airports; an agent passes a swab around or inside luggage and then runs the swab through a machine that can detect trace amounts of explosives)

guidance device; guidance system (a system of equipment for automatically guiding the path of a vehicle (especially a missile))

assemblage; hookup (a system of components assembled together for a particular purpose)

inertial guidance system; inertial navigation system (a system to control a plane or spacecraft; uses inertial forces)

labyrinth; maze (complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

scheme; system

Context example:

a vast system of production and distribution and consumption keep the country going

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

group; grouping (any number of entities (members) considered as a unit)

Meronyms (parts of "system"):

hierarchy (a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

root system; rootage (a developed system of roots)

water system (a river and all of its tributaries)

solar system (the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field)

shebang (an entire system; used in the phrase 'the whole shebang')

body (a collection of particulars considered as a system)

syntax (a systematic orderly arrangement)

organism (a system considered analogous in structure or function to a living body)

subsystem (a system that is part of some larger system)

nonlinear system (a system whose performance cannot be described by equations of the first degree)

network; web (an interconnected system of things or people)

machinery (a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions)

dragnet (a system of coordinated measures for apprehending (criminals or other individuals))

social organisation; social organization; social structure; social system; structure (the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships)

ecosystem (a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment)

economic system; economy (the system of production and distribution and consumption)

judicatory; judicature; judicial system; judiciary (the system of law courts that administer justice and constitute the judicial branch of government)

language system (a system of linguistic units or elements used in a particular language)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Context example:

a system generating hydrogen peroxide

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

matter (that which has mass and occupies space)

Domain category:

physical chemistry (the branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A complex of methods or rules governing behavior

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

system; system of rules

Context example:

that language has a complex system for indicating gender

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

method (a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

ethic; ethical code (a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct)

discipline (a system of rules of conduct or method of practice)

theological system; theology (a particular system or school of religious beliefs and teachings)

logic (the system of operations performed by a computer that underlies the machine's representation of logical operations)

anthroposophy (a system of beliefs and practices based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner; it claims to integrate the practical and psychological in child-centered education)

theosophy (a system of belief based on mystical insight into the nature of God and the soul)

program; programme (a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need)

organon (a system of principles for philosophic or scientific investigations; an instrument for acquiring knowledge)

spoils system (the system of employing and promoting civil servants who are friends and supporters of the group in power)

merit system (the system of employing and promoting civil servants on the basis of ability)

logic; logical system; system of logic (a system of reasoning)

honor system (a system of conduct in which participants are trusted not to take unfair advantage of others)

government ((government) the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed)

gambling system (a system of rules for placing bets that is believed to lead to winning)

frame; frame of reference (a system of assumptions and standards that sanction behavior and give it meaning)

accounting (a system that provides quantitative information about finances)

point system (a system of evaluation based on awarding points according to rules)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An organized structure for arranging or classifying

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

arrangement; organisation; organization; system

Context example:

he tried to understand their system of classification

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

structure (the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

data structure ((computer science) the organization of data (and its storage allocations in a computer))

calendar (a system of timekeeping that defines the beginning and length and divisions of the year)

ontology ((computer science) a rigorous and exhaustive organization of some knowledge domain that is usually hierarchical and contains all the relevant entities and their relations)

living arrangement (an arrangement to allow people (or ideas) to coexist)

lattice (an arrangement of points or particles or objects in a regular periodic pattern in 2 or 3 dimensions)

kinship system ((anthropology) the system of social relationships that constitute kinship in a particular culture, including the terminology that is used and the reciprocal obligations that are entailed)

genetic map (graphical representation of the arrangement of genes on a chromosome)

distribution; statistical distribution ((statistics) an arrangement of values of a variable showing their observed or theoretical frequency of occurrence)

design; plan (an arrangement scheme)

coordinate system; frame of reference; reference frame; reference system (a system that uses coordinates to establish position)

contrivance (an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.)

classification system (a system for classifying things)

Derivation:

systemise; systemize (arrange according to a system or reduce to a system)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A group of physiologically or anatomically related organs or parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

the body has a system of organs for digestion

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

articulatory system (the system of joints in the body)

frame; skeletal system; skeleton; systema skeletale (the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal)

vascular system (the vessels and tissue that carry or circulate fluids such as blood or lymph or sap through the body of an animal or plant)

tract (a system of body parts that together serve some particular purpose)

sensory system (the body's system of sense organs)

respiratory system; systema respiratorium (the system for taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide; in terrestrial animals this is accomplished by breathing)

apparatus urogenitalis; genitourinary apparatus; genitourinary system; systema urogenitale; urinary apparatus; urinary system; urogenital apparatus; urogenital system (the system that includes all organs involved in reproduction and in the formation and voidance of urine)

genital system; reproductive system (organs and tissues involved in the production and maturation of gametes and in their union and subsequent development as offspring)

peripheral nervous system; systema nervosum periphericum (the section of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord)

central nervous system; CNS; systema nervosum centrale (the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord)

musculoskeletal system (the system of muscles and tendons and ligaments and bones and joints and associated tissues that move the body and maintain its form)

digestive system; gastrointestinal system; systema alimentarium; systema digestorium (the system that makes food absorbable into the body)

endocrine system (the system of glands that produce endocrine secretions that help to control bodily metabolic activity)

venation; venous blood system ((zoology) the system of venous blood vessels in an animal)

immune system (a system (including the thymus and bone marrow and lymphoid tissues) that protects the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms by producing the immune response)

integumentary system (the skin and its appendages)

RES; reticuloendothelial system (a widely distributed system consisting of all the cells able to ingest bacteria or colloidal particles etc, except for certain white blood cells)

mononuclear phagocyte system; MPS; system of macrophages (a widely distributed system of free and fixed macrophages derived from bone marrow)

muscle system; muscular structure; musculature (the muscular system of an organism)

nervous system; systema nervosum (the sensory and control apparatus consisting of a network of nerve cells)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A procedure or process for obtaining an objective

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

they had to devise a system that did not depend on cooperation

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

plan of action (a plan for actively doing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "system"):

credit system (a system for allowing people to purchase things on credit)

promotion system (a system for advancing participants to higher-status positions)

legal system (a system for interpreting and enforcing the laws)

pricing system (a system for setting prices on goods or services)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

exercise helped him get the alcohol out of his system

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

live body (the body of a living animal or person)

Sense 9

Meaning:

An ordered manner; orderliness by virtue of being methodical and well organized

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

organisation; organization; system

Context example:

we can't do it unless we establish some system around here

Hypernyms ("system" is a kind of...):

methodicalness; orderliness (the quality of appreciating method and system)

Derivation:

systematic (characterized by order and planning)

systemise; systemize (arrange according to a system or reduce to a system)

 Context examples 

We left them to their system and themselves, and went home wondering.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Their system is different from ours.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The combined data resulted in a better, deeper and more complete image of the system.

(Yellowstone magma discovery, NSF)

As long as you are focused on protecting your computer systems, you should be fine, but you will have to stay vigilant for months.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Joe sat around and explained his system, but he did no more work.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

They must both have suffered a great deal under such a system of secresy and concealment.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

That is the faulty part of the present system.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

But we all have our own systems, Mr. Holmes.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Measures of nervous system arousal confirmed that the participants experienced a fear response.

(How Our Memory Works, NIH, US)

Microorganisms play important roles in the health and protection of coral reefs, but exploring these roles can be difficult because of the lack of unspoiled reef systems throughout the global ocean.

(Microbes reflect the health of coral reefs, National Science Foundation)