Notions Are Also Sewing Supplies in America
A notion is an idea. In American shops it also names small sewing items, from an old sense of small useful things.
A notion is an idea or belief, often a vague one. American English keeps a second sense that Britain lost: *notions* are small sewing and haberdashery items — buttons, thread, pins and tape. The usage comes from an older meaning of small useful articles, and department stores still label the aisle that way.
- An idea. *A vague notion.*
- An impulse. *He took a notion to leave.*
- Sewing items (American). *The notions counter.*
- Notional — theoretical. *A notional figure.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | notion | A romantic notion. |
| Plural | notions | Odd notions. |
| Adjective | notional | A notional value. |
| Related | note | A short note. |
| Related | notice | Take notice. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He had a notion to go walking.A sudden impulse.
- The notions department sells thread.American shops.
- A notional amount is theoretical.Finance.
Words from *noscere*, to know
- Notion — a thing known or conceived
- Notice — a becoming known
- Note — a mark aiding knowledge
- Recognise — to know again
- Ignore — from *in-* plus the same root, not to know
From Latin *notionem*, a becoming acquainted, from *noscere*, to know — related to English *know*.
Why are sewing items called notions?
From an older sense of small useful articles. American retail kept the term while British English dropped it.
Are know and notion related?
Yes, at a distance. Both descend from an Indo-European root meaning to know, through Germanic and Latin.