The meaning of a string in some language, as opposed to syntax whICh describes how symbols may be combined independent of their meaning. The semantICs of a programming language is a function from programs to answers. A program is a closed term and, in practICal languages, an answer is a member of the syntactIC category of values. The two main kinds are {denotational semantICs} and {operational semantICs}. (1995-06-21)