Word.ws English Dictionary

rhematic

Syllables: rhe·ma·tic/ɹiːˈmatɪk/US/ɹəˈmætɪk/

rhematic noun: the provision of new information regarding the current theme.

rhematic: the provision of new information regarding the current theme
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Noun

rhematic (countable and uncountable, plural rhematics)

  1. The provision of new information regarding the current theme.
    • Within a non-theme, transitionals cede to rhematics, the transition itself being lowest on the CD scale.1995, Francis P. Dinneen, “Different Constants”, in General Linguistics, Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, →ISBN, page 565
  2. (obsolete, rare) In the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834): the doctrine or study of arranging words into sentences clearly.
    • The object of rhetoric is persuasion,—of logic, conviction,—of grammar, significancy. A fourth term is wanting, the rhematic, or logic of sentences.1830 September 23, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Logic”, in H[enry] N[elson] C[oleridge], editor, Specimens of the Table Talk of the Late Samuel Taylor Coleridge. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […]...
    • He [Coleridge] establishes an opposition between Σύνταξις ῥημάτων or ῥηματική ("rhematic"), the art of joining words into sentences, and γραμματική ("grammar"), which in its derivation from γράμμα (a letter, written character) is the art of joining letters together, spelling. Or, cf CN IV 4771...1984, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, edited by George Whalley, Marginalia II: Camden to Hutton (The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge; 12, part 2; Bollingen Series; 75), London: Routledge & Kegan...

Adjective

rhematic (not comparable)

  1. Of a part of a sentence: providing new information regarding the current theme.
    • Rhematic relations are, in a sense, 'intermediate syntactic meanings'. To avoid a proliferation of types of intermediate meanings I do not extend the concept of intermediate syntactic meaning to cover rhematic relations.1983, Hans-Heinrich Lieb, Integrational Linguistics (Current Issues in Linguistic Theory; 17), volume I (General Outline), Amsterdam; Philadelphia, Pa.: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page...
    • In addition, if imitation and recycling tend to turn thematic titles into rhematic ones as I have shown for Situations, the use of sequels and continuations cannot avoid doing so. The title Le Menteur [The Liar: [Pierre] Corneille] was perfectly thematic; in La Suite du Menteur [Sequel to The Liar...1997, Gérard Genette, translated by Jane E. Lewin, Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 87
  2. Of or pertaining to a sumisign.
    • Rhematic Indexical Sinsign: As an object of raw experience, a burst of unplanned hollering is a rhematic indexical sinsign: it directs attention to the object which caused the presence of the sign […].1995, Victorino Tejera, Literature, Criticism, and the Theory of Signs (Semiotic Crossroads; 7), Amsterdam; Philadelphia, Pa.: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 137
    • [Charles Sanders] Peirce argues that common and proper nouns function typically as indices, whereas verbs and adjectives are typically icons and rhemes (MS 516:39). The noun camel is a rhematic index when it is interpreted and thus connected with real-life experience. The adjective green is a...2015, Winifried Nöth, “Three Paradigms of Iconicity Research in Language and Literature”, in Masako K. Hiraga, William J. Herlofsky, Kazuko Shinohara, Kimi Akita, editors, Iconicity: East Meets West...
  3. (obsolete) Of or pertaining to word formation.
  4. (obsolete, rare) In Coleridge's work: relating to the arrangement of words into sentences clearly.
  5. (obsolete, rare) Having a verb for its base; derived from a verb.
    • rhematic adjectives
    • Passive rhematic adjectives ending in -able […]1877, Fitzedward Hall, On English Adjectives in -able, with Special References to Reliable, London: Trübner, →OCLC, page 47
    Synonyms:
    verbal

Examples of rhematic in a sentence

  • Or, cf CN IV 4771: "Grammar [is] the scheme & instrument of connecting words significantly, the Meta-grammatic <rhematic>, the Doctrine of arranging words perspicuously" […]1984, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, edited by George Whalley, Marginalia II: Camden to Hutton (The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
  • In addition, if imitation and recycling tend to turn thematic titles into rhematic ones as I have shown for Situations, the use of sequels and continuations cannot avoid doing so.1997, Gérard Genette, translated by Jane E. Lewin, Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN...
  • To test this assumption, I collected 50 rhematic subjects from each original of Čermáková's sources and examined their syntactic counterparts in the other language.2003, Libuše Dušková, “Constancy of Syntactic Function across Languages”, in Josef Hladký, editor, Language and Function: To the Memory of...
  • These terms are also convenient because adjectives are easily derived from them: "thematic" and "rhematic", respectively.2007, Iryna Alexeyeva, Theoretical Grammar Course of Modern English, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: Nova Knyha, →ISBN, page 295:

Synonyms of rhematic

Forms of rhematic

pluralrhematics

Origin of rhematic

From Ancient Greek ῥηματικός (rhēmatikós, “verbal, pertaining to verbs”), from Ancient Greek ῥηματ- (rhēmat-), ῥῆμα (rhêma, “verb (grammar), word”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic; suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to, in the manner of’”).

Questions about rhematic

What does rhematic mean?
Rhematic means the provision of new information regarding the current theme.
How do you use rhematic in a sentence?
Or, cf CN IV 4771: "Grammar [is] the scheme & instrument of connecting words significantly, the Meta-grammatic <rhematic>, the Doctrine of arranging words perspicuously" […]
What part of speech is rhematic?
Rhematic can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce rhematic?
Rhematic is pronounced /ɹiːˈmatɪk/ (UK).
What is the plural of rhematic?
The plural of rhematic is rhematics.

Words near rhematic in the dictionary

  1. RHEL
  2. Rhem
  3. rhema
  4. rhemas
  5. rhemata
  6. rhematic
  7. rhematics
  8. rhematology
  9. rheme
  10. rhemes
  11. Rhemish

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rhematic (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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