Other forms: contexts
Context is the surrounding facts that make something make sense. In this context, taken out of context, historical context.
Taken out of context is the standard defence of somebody quoted saying something indefensible, and it is sometimes true. The Latin means woven together, which is exactly right — the meaning of a part depends on the whole it is woven into.
1nouncontextThe surrounding facts that make something make sense.
“You can't understand the joke without knowing the context.”
context is a setting.
Latin contextus means a joining together, from contexere, to weave together — con plus texere, to weave. Text is the same root.
Proto-Indo-European
*tetḱ-
Latin
contextus
English, today
context
From Latin contextus.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA