# meaning (significance)

a pattern of knowledge that differs from a state

- Computed level: L8 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: significance  ·  Arena: meaning

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [information](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-information.knowledge), [difference](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-difference.relation), [state](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-state.condition), [knowledge](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-knowledge.cognitive), [pattern](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-pattern.regularity)

**Through:** knowledge and a state have difference, and this makes a pattern

**Novel properties:**
- discernible contrast
- cognitive distinction
- persistent irregularity

## Examples
- The Library of Alexandria preserved Hellenistic astronomical records until its destruction in 48 BCE. *(institutions)*
- The Voyager 1 probe carries a Golden Record with encoded human languages and music as of 1977. *(computing)*
- The periodic table organizes elements by atomic number, revealing reactivity patterns across chemical families. *(chemistry)*

## Used by
- [art](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-art.creative) (L10)
- [concise](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-concise.linguistic) (L11)
- [express](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-express.communication) (L10)
- [ideas](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-ideas.cognitive) (L23)
- [important](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-important.significance) (L10)
- [language](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-language.communication) (L12)
- [mean](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-mean.signify) (L9)
- [purpose](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-purpose.goal) (L9)
- [reason](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-reason.causal) (L10)
- [sign](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-sign.symbolic) (L11)
- [statement](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-statement.communication) (L10)
- [story](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-story.narrative) (L13)
- [terms](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-terms.language) (L11)
- [words](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-words.language) (L10)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-meaning.significance*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-meaning.significance.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*