William of Occam
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- proper noun
- /ˈwɪljəm əv ˈɒkəm/
- US
- The medieval philosopher William of Occam is best known for his formulation of Occam's Razor.
Examples
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Many cite William of Occam when discussing the importance of simplicity in scientific theories.
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Scholars have extensively studied the writings of William of Occam on logic and metaphysics.
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The medieval philosopher William of Occam is best known for his formulation of Occam's Razor.
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Did William of Occam really live during the 14th century?
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I find William of Occam fascinating!
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Many cite William of Occam when discussing the importance of simplicity in scientific theories.
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Scholars have extensively studied the writings of William of Occam on logic and metaphysics.
Synonyms
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A thinker from England in the 1300s who says simple explanations are best
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An English philosopher known for the idea that simpler explanations are better
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A medieval English philosopher and religious thinker known for saying simple explanations are better
Surface Forms
Morphology
William + of + Occam
This is a proper name referring to a historical person; knowing the constituent words 'William', 'of', and 'Occam' does not allow a learner to infer the biographical or philosophical meaning (i.e. the person who formulated Occam's Razor). Proper names are not compositionally built in the way lexical MWEs are, so the referential meaning is not derivable from the parts.
Etymology
William of Occam is the medieval thinker behind the idea called Occam's Razor. Imagine a razor shaving away extra parts of an explanation until only what is needed is left; that image helps explain why his name reminds people to 'choose the simplest explanation'.