conclusion

English edit

English Wikipedia has an article on:

conclusion

Alternative forms edit

concl. (shortening)

Etymology edit

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French conclusion, from Latin conclūsiō, from the past participle stem of conclūdere (“to conclude”), from con- +‎ claudō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /kənˈkluːʒən/
Audio (GA) (file)
Rhymes: -uːʒən

Noun edit

conclusion (countable and uncountable, plural conclusions)

The end, finish, close or last part of something.
- 1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, “Early Days of Philip”, in History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, book I, page 60:
  At the end of the seventh hour, a flourish of trumpets announced the conclusion of the contest; […]
- 1989 October, Richard R. Burt, “Status of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks”, in Department of State Bulletin: The Official Monthly Record of United States Foreign Policy, volume 89, number 2151, page 19, column 3:
  Some have recently questioned whether conclusion of a START treaty is a lower priority for the Bush Administration than conclusion of a conventional force in Europe (CFE) treaty or whether we want to delay START pending progress in CFE.
The outcome or result of a process or act.
A decision reached after careful thought.
The board has come to the conclusion that the proposed takeover would not be in the interest of our shareholders.
- 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
  [I]n her boſome Ile vnclaſpe my heart, / And take her hearing priſoner with the force / And ſtrong incounter of my amorous tale: / Then after to her father will I breake, / And the concluſion is, ſhe ſhal be thine, [...]
- 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:
  With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get [...]
(logic) In an argument or syllogism, the proposition that follows as a necessary consequence of the premises.
- 1716 April 20 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 32. Monday, April 9. [1716.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC:
  He granted him both the major and minor, but denied him the conclusion.
(obsolete) An experiment, or something from which a conclusion may be drawn.
- 1631, Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], pages 33–34, →OCLC:
  [W]ee practiſe likewise all Concluſions of Grafting, and Inoculating, as well of VVilde-Trees, as Fruit-Trees, which produceth many Effects.
(law) The end or close of a pleading, for example, the formal ending of an indictment, "against the peace", etc.
(law) An estoppel or bar by which a person is held to a particular position.
- 1818, William Cruise, A Digest of the Laws of England Respecting Real Property:
  It was determined, that though the fine operated at first by conclusion, and passed no interest, yet the estoppel should bind the heir