The　term，　“browsing”　is　regularly　used　in　various　situations．　Hence　it　is　important　that　anyconsideration　of　the　meaning　of　the　term　“browsing”　must　not　be　restricted　within　the　range　oflibrary　and　information　science．　　，　ln　this　study，　descriptions　of　“browsing”　are　collected　and　examined．　Such　descriptions　arecitations　from：　English　dictionaries；　newspaper　articles　in　English　and　Japanese；　lnternetarticles　in　English　and　Japanese；　and　papers　in　Japanese　on　subjects　other　than　library　andinformation　science．　　　These　sources　show　that　the　term　is　now　used　in　a　much　broader　sense　than　its　original　oneof　“to　eat　plants”．　The　term　is　even　used　with　audio　data，　chance　and　information　in　general　asits　object．　This　is　due　to　the　fact　that　the　concept　of　the　object　of　“browsing”　has　broadenedfrom　one　prototype　“eating”　while　retaining　the　common　factor　of　“to　select　what　one　needsfrom　many”．　As　a　result，　it　was　found　that　anything　can　now　be　the　object　of　browsing，　insofaras　it　can　be　perceived　as　“information”　for　a　person；　namely　the　browser．　　　In　conclusion，　“browsing”　is　currently　defined　as：　that　action　whereby　one　selects　what　oneneeds　from　many　items，　according　to　certain　standards，　using　all　the　senses　one　can　employ，　inorder　to　satisfy　a　vague　requirement　for　information．