system
sys·tem / ˈsistəm/ • n. 1. a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole, in particular: ∎ a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network: the state railroad system fluid is pushed through a system of pipes or channels. ∎ Physiol. a set of organs in the body with a common structure or function: the digestive system. ∎ the human or animal body as a whole: you need to get the cholesterol out of your system. ∎ Comput. a group of related hardware units or programs or both, esp. when dedicated to a single application. ∎ Geol. (in chronostratigraphy) a major range of strata that corresponds to a period in time, subdivided into series. ∎ Astron. a group of celestial objects connected by their mutual attractive forces, esp. moving in orbits about a center: the system of bright stars known as the Gould Belt. ∎ short for crystal system.2. a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method: a multiparty system of government the public school system. ∎ orderliness; method: there was no system at all in the company. ∎ a method of choosing one's procedure in gambling. ∎ a set of rules used in measurement or classification: the metric system. ∎ (the system) the prevailing political or social order, esp. when regarded as oppressive and intransigent: don't try bucking the system.3. Mus. a set of staves in a musical score joined by a brace.PHRASES: get something out of one's system inf. get rid of a preoccupation or anxiety: she let her get the crying out of her system.DERIVATIVES: sys·tem·less adj.ORIGIN: early 17th cent.: from French système or late Latin systema, from Greek sustēma, from sun- ‘with’ + histanai ‘set up.’
system
1. The chronostratigraphic equivalent of the time unit period. Systems are subdivided into series, and together several systems constitute an ‘erathem’. When used formally the initial letter of the term is capitalized, e.g. the Devonian System.
2. In geomorphology, a natural arrangement of interrelated objects or variables, the whole possessing properties that make it greater than the sum of the individual parts. It normally possesses stability, expressed by a balance between the input and output of energy and matter. This equilibrium may be upset by internal or external change. If the change is modest, the system quickly regains equilibrium; if it is extreme, a new equilibrium is established. A hillslope, for example, receives precipitation and exports water, slope debris, and the products of weathering. The form of the profile represents a balance between input and output. A landslide, perhaps induced by an increase in precipitation, would destroy this equilibrium, and in due course a new balance would be established. Several varieties of system are recognized. See CASCADING SYSTEM; CONTROL SYSTEM; MORPHOLOGICAL SYSTEM; and PROCESS-RESPONSE SYSTEM.
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an assembly of things arranged in a series that conforms to a plan.
Examples : system of beacons, 1868; of botany; of communications; of deceit, 1781; of iniquity, 1663; of logic, 1699; of philosophy; of railways; of rocks, 1830; of truths, 1845; of telegraph wires, 1855.