The term DICT. OFFERING is a crossword puzzle solution composed of four letters (ETYM), three letters (DEF) and three letters (SYN). ETYM stands for etymology, which is the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. DEF stands for definition, which is the act of stating the exact meaning of a word or phrase. SYN stands for synonym, which is a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase.