A noun is a name...and any name is a word (sometimes, two words or more).
Let's look at some names...
girl - name of a human being
city - of a place
soap - of a thing
anger - of an emotion
mentorship - of a power or ability someone has
difficulty - of a situation
Various Answers to the Question "What is a Noun?"
A noun is a name of person, place, thing, emotion, power, ability, situation, etc. Some people would define noun like this.
A noun is a name of a person, place, thing, or idea. For those who like this definition, the word idea includes emotion, power, ability, situation, etc.
A noun is a name of a person, place or thing. Very traditional definition, this is. Just because something is traditional, we should not reject it. I think this is a very good definition and does not leave out anything.
I Can Hear You Saying "So, you like this definition number 3."
Yes, I do.
Why?
We often say:
"I don't want to get mixed up in such things." (By such things we mean such unwanted situations)
"What a thing to say!" (Here, by thing, we mean some spoken comment either undesirable or surprising.)
In these two instances, thing clearly does not refer to material things. The word can also refer to immaterial realities.
The word thing can include everything, except...
a person. Does the word thing, include person? Very rarely. Sometimes, we hear someone sympathetically exclaim, "Poor thing!" when speaking of some damsel in distress (i.e. some girl in trouble). Otherwise, we don't commonly apply the word thing to human beings.
a place. Are places included in things? I don't think so. I have never heard anyone using the word for a place.
So, definition number 3 is a good one, according to me.
But, You Must Choose Your Own Definition
If you have an analytical mind, and tend to break up things into parts and go into the details of everything, in order to understand it, then definition 1 is for you.
If you have a comprehensive mind, and have the tendency to see the "big picture" and you see the parts as making sense only as related to the whole, then you will be comfortable with definition no. 3.
If you are an in-between person as regards the comprehensive and analytical mind, then definition 2, may be for you.
Although I like definition 3, I have a personal improvement upon it, and I feel extremely comfortable with the change: a noun is a name of everything that can be named. To my mind, this is the ideal definition.
Suppose, you asked me very privately, "Denzil, you have said many things about the noun. But...according to your most heartfelt belief, 'What is a noun?'" My answer would be:
"A noun is a name."
Very comprehensive indeed!
I think, you must have already started analyzing whether I have an analytical or comprehensive mind! You are most welcome.
But meanwhile, you'd sure like to do something more profitable...at least, as profitable as exploring the question: "What is a noun?"
