topic
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1 subject or theme (n.) A1 Beginner General-service Academicthe main subject that you are talking, writing, or learning about.
the subject or theme of a discourse, literary work, or investigation.
ExampleThe teacher asked us to choose a topic for our final history project.
ExampleThe seminar covered a wide range of topics, from international trade agreements to the sociological impact of urban migration.
UsageOften used with the prepositions 'on' or 'of'.
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2 online discussion (n.) B1 Intermediate Informal Computinga specific conversation or thread on a website or social media page.
a specific thread or subject of discussion within an online forum or social media platform.
ExampleI started a new topic on the travel forum to ask for hotel advice.
ExampleThe moderator closed the topic after the discussion devolved into personal attacks that violated the community guidelines.
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3 data distribution (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Computinga named channel used to send messages to many people or systems at once.
a logical distribution channel in a publish-subscribe messaging pattern, allowing multiple subscribers to receive messages from a single publisher.
ExampleThe system sends an alert to the 'security' topic whenever a login fails.
ExampleBy decoupling the producers from the consumers via a message topic, the architecture ensures that high-frequency data bursts do not overwhelm individual services.
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4 musical style signifier (n.) C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Musica musical style or rhythm that reminds the listener of a specific mood or place.
a musical unit or style that functions as a signifier, evoking a particular genre, mood, or cultural context.
ExampleThe composer used a military topic to make the music sound like a parade.
ExampleThe movement employs a pastoral topic, utilizing oboe melodies and drone basses to evoke a rural landscape.
From Latin topica, from Ancient Greek τοπικός (topikós, “pertaining to a place, local, pertaining to a common place, or topic, topical”), from τόπος (tópos, “a place”).
- Nountopic
- Adjectivetopical