1. The art or science of literary interpretations: Originally hermeneutics was understood to be the branch of Theology concerned with exegesis or an explanation that helps people understand a piece of writing; especially, sacred writings; then it became the designation for a discipline within a philosophy concerned with study of interpretation of more general concepts.
2. The theory and methodology of interpretation; especially, of scriptural texts: Hermeneutics is also described as the development and study of the theories of the interpretation and the understanding of philosophical publications.