Definition of "framework" in English

noun

1. (literally) A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size.

2. (literally) The arrangement of support beams that represent a building's general shape and size.

3. (figuratively) The larger branches of a tree that determine its shape.

4. (figuratively) A basic conceptual structure.

   • These ‘three principles of connexion’ compose the framework of principles in Hume's account of the association of ideas.

5. (software engineering) A reusable piece of code (and, sometimes, other utilities) providing a standard environment within which an application can be implemented.

6. (grammar) An established and structured system of rules and principles used for analyzing and describing the structure of a language.