Define - Elizabeth Enriquez

Define. What a curious word.

To define is to clarify.

It's the word you type into the browser when you aren't sure of the meaning of something; the word that with only a single tap to your "enter" key, can teach you worlds of knowledge.

In the English language, we collect words like coins. It wouldn't be rare to find one on the ground, left behind by another passerby. You wouldn't often think about it, but over time, after hearing and reading thousands of words, your collection would grow. Sometimes, even, you may lose some words from your collection for others to find.

And yet in the same manner as collecting coins, you could occasionally come across a duplicate. A set of sister pennies from the year 1997, one scratched and scuffed and the other, effortlessly reflecting the ambient light. Two words with the same meaning, but perhaps different connotations - synonyms. 

Define can offer opportunities.

It teaches you what words can be - what you can be. It clarifies what may have once been incomprehensible. Define hands out pennies to those who search for them.

However, a word can have multiple definitions.

At the same time, define may be the most limiting word out there.

To define is to delineate.

To define is to designate boundaries.

How far can a few coins really take you? You can collect as many words as your heart desires and still fail to find the one you yearn for - still fail to find your fortune. After all, there are only so many words you can remember; so many coins you can keep.

Define is the word that sets fixed limitations; the word that excludes the possibility of growth or change.

But in the end, it's all up to interpretation, isn't it?