The structure of strings in some language. A language' s syntax is described by a grammar. For example, the syntax of a binary nUMBer could be expressed as binary_nUMBer = bit [ binary_nUMBer ] bit = "0" | "1" meaning that a binary nUMBer is a bit optionally followed by a binary nUMBer and a bit is a literal zero or one digit. The meaning of the language is given by its semantics. See also abstract syntax, concrete syntax. (1994-10-31)