DEFINITION OF TERMS Flashcards
To define a term is to explain its meaning.
In a definition, the term to be defined is called definiendum,
while the defining term is called definiens
DEFINITION
Expresses what the name means,
not what the thing is.
It circumscribes the precise
meaning of a given word without
going into its real nature
Nominal
Indicates the meaning of a term by showing
or pointing at the object (from the Latin
“ostendere” meaning “to point” or “to show”
Ostensive or Demonstrative
It gives the same connotation of the term. The
definition is so exact as to replace the one with the
other in any context without shift in meaning.
❑ saccharides – carbohydrates
snooty – haughty
mendacious – lying
reprise – repeat
Synonymous
Gives the origin of the word
Etymological
Tells us what the thing is, not
just what the word means.
It digs deeper into the nature of
a thing of which we somehow
have a vague knowledge
Real
It is a definition that is constructed by genus
and specific difference
Examples:
1. Man is a rational animal – man belongs to
the genus animal and is distinguished from
other species belonging to that genus by
rationality.
- Decagon is a polygon with 10 sides –
genus = polygon; species = 10 sid
ESSENTIAL
defines something by stating its
essential property, which is a characteristic
that naturally follows from its essence but is
not the essence itself
Distinctive
defines something by explaining
how it originates or comes into existence.
It describes the process or manner in which a thing
is formed, rather than just stating its essential
characteristcs
Genetic
Definition that gives the producer of a thin
Causal Efficient Cause
Definition that gives the purpose or
end on account of which a thing is
produce
Causal Final Cause
explains a thing by giving
characteristics that are contingently
connected with it
Accidental
Presented in a language an
average person can understand.
Not highly theoretical and
figurative
A definition should avoid vagueness and ambiguity
It should not use the defined term as
part of its definition.
Examples:
An inventor is one invents something.
A wall clock is a clock on the wall.
Definition should not be circular.
Opposition is not an adequate way of
defining terms.
A definition must state what a thing is,
not what a thing is not.
Examples:
Odd is not even.
Antonym is the opposite of synony
Definition should not be needlessly negative.
Correctly employed when it refers to a
privation. A definition is valid if applied to
realities we do not know well.
Examples:
A blind man is one that cannot see.
A crippled man is one that cannot
walk
Negative
