sortal
9.9
A word that names a kind of thing like dog or chair
- noun
- /ˈsɔːrtəl/
- Specialized
:
sortal
- The term sortal is often used to refer to types of entities in logical arguments.
Examples
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In philosophy, a sortal helps to categorize objects based on their essential properties.
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For a concept to be a sortal, it must effectively define a specific category of things.
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What there can't be, according to Wiggins' account of 'identity under a sortal concept,' is two objects that both fall under the same sortal in the same place at the same time.
Blog text (17)
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Sortal comes from the common word sort meaning 'kind' and the ending -al that turns it into a word. A sortal is a word like 'dog' or 'chair' that tells you the kind of something, so it helps decide if two objects are the same kind.
