See also:

• DEFINITION (Lat. definitio, from de-finire, to set limits to, describe)

DEFINITION (See also:

• LAT

Lat. definitio, from de-finire, to set limits to, describe)  , a logical See also:

• TERM

term used popularly for the See also:

• PROCESS

process of explaining, or giving the meaning of, a word, and also in the See also:

• CONCRETE
• CONCRETE (Lat. concretes, participle of concrescere, to grow together)

concrete for the proposition or statement in which that explanation is expressed . In See also:

• LOGIC (Xoy1K7, sc. rixvrt, the art of reasoning)

logic, See also:

• DEFINITION (Lat. definitio, from de-finire, to set limits to, describe)

definition consists in determining the qualities which belong to given concepts or universals; it is not concerned with individuals, which are marked by an infinity of peculiarities, any one or all of which might be predicated of another individual . Individuals can be defined only in so far as they belong to a single See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind . According to See also:

• ARISTOTLE
• ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)

Aristotle, definition is the statement of the essence of a concept (dptow& lab 'yap See also:

• ROC

roC Ti $ITa Kai aim-See also:

• LAS

Las, Posterior Analytics, B iii . 90 b 30); that is, it consists of the genus and the differentia . In other words, " See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man " is defined as " See also:

• ANIMAL
• ANIMAL (Lat. animalis, from anima, breath, soul)

animal plus rationality," or " rational animal," 1 i.e. the concept is (I) referred to the next higher genus, and (2) distinguished from other modes in which that genus exists, i.e. from other See also:

• SPECIES

species . It is sometimes argued that, there being no definition of individuals as such, definition is of names (see J . S . See also:

• MILL
• MILL (O. Eng. mylen, later myln, or miln, adapted from the late Lat. molina, cf. Fr. moulin, from Lat. mola, a mill, molere, to grind; from the same root, mol, is derived " meal;" the word appears in other Teutonic languages, cf. Du. molen, Ger. muhle)
• MILL, JAMES (1773-1836)
• MILL, JOHN (c. 1645–1707)
• MILL, JOHN STUART (1806-1873)

Mill, Logic, i. viii . 5), not of things; it is generally, however, maintained that definition is of things, regarded as, or 1" Rational animal " is thus the predicate of the statement constituting the definition . Sometimes the word " definition " is used to signify merely the predicate . in so far as they are, of a kind .

Definition of words can be nothing more than the explanation of terms such as is given in a See also:

• DICTIONARY

dictionary . The following rules are generally given as governing accurate definition . (r) The definition must be See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent or commensurate with that which is defined; it must be applicable to all the individuals included in the concept and to nothing else . Every man, and nothing else, is a rational animal . " Man is mortal " is not a definition, for mortality is- predicable of irrational animals . (2) The definition must See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state the essential attributes; a concept cannot be defined by its accidental attributes; those attributes must be given which are essential and See also:

• PRIMARY

primary . (3) The definition must be per genus et differentiam (or di fferentias), as we have already seen . These are the important rules . Three See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor rules are: (4) The definition must not contain the name of the concept to be defined ; if it does, no formation is given . Such a proposition as " an See also:

• ARCHDEACON (Lat. archidiaconus, Gr. &oxt3tauovor)

archdeacon is one who performs archidiaconal functions " is not a definition . Concepts cannot be defined by their correlatives . Such a definition is known as a circulus in definiendo .

(5) Obscure and figurative See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language must be avoided, and (6) See also:

• DEFINITIONS

Definitions must not be in the negative when they can be in the affirmative .