notion

Everyday

1. An idea or belief about something, often a vague or mistaken one: «I had a notion that school started at nine». tree →
2. A sudden wish or impulse to do something: «She took a notion to paint her room purple». tree →
3. (US) Notions: small sewing items like buttons, pins and thread. tree →
4. (maths/science, formal) A basic idea or concept: the notion of a number. tree →
5. To have no notion of doing something means not to want to do it, or not to think of doing it at all. tree →

In the lessons

In stories it shows a character's thinking: «He had no notion where he was». In school: «the notion of fairness», «the notion of infinity». Phrases: «have no notion», «the notion that», «take a notion» (Ireland, Scotland, US), «a silly notion».

Examples

• I had a notion that the shop was closed on Sundays. tree →
• She hadn't the faintest notion what to do. tree →
• Where did you get the silly notion that carrots let you see in the dark? tree →
• The notion of fairness is important in our class rules. tree →
• Gran took a notion to go swimming in the sea. tree →
• In maths, the notion of zero took people a long time to invent. tree →
• The sewing shop sells buttons, ribbons and other notions. tree →

Note

Countable: a notion, notions. Close to «idea», but often vaguer or slightly doubtful. «Have no notion» = have no idea. A «notional» number is one that is imagined or estimated, not real.

In Jewish tradition

In stories it shows a character's thinking: «He had no notion where he was». In school: «the notion of fairness», «the notion of infinity». Phrases: «have no notion», «the notion that», «take a notion» (Ireland, Scotland, US), «a silly notion».

Examples

• All the other commentaries mentioned above, together with all quotations of other expounders of the same book, contain nothing but a medley of arbitrary, mystical explanations and sophistical distortions of scriptural verses, astrological notions, oriental (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Countable: a notion, notions. Close to «idea», but often vaguer or slightly doubtful. «Have no notion» = have no idea. A «notional» number is one that is imagined or estimated, not real.