CHAPTER 12

THE TERM
 1.) DEFINITION OF “TERM”

 An oral term is an articulate sound that serves as a

conventional or arbitrary sign of a concept.

( We shall now explain each part of the definition given above )

 a. “An Articulate Sound”

Only an articulate sound can be a term;

that is, a sound formed in the mouth and
consisting of one or more distinct
syllables.
 b. “A Sign”

 A sign is anything that leads to the knowledge of

something distinct from itself.
 c. “A Conventional or Arbitrary Sign"

 What is the source of the connection between a sign and

what it signifies? The answer to this question is the basis of
the division of signs into natural, on the one hand, and
conventional or arbitrary, on the other.
 A NATURAL SIGN
 Is one whose connection with what it signifies is from nature,
independently of human conventions and the arbitrary will of man.
 Example. Smoke is a natural sign of fire; the connection between
smoke and fire does not arise from the arbitrary will of man, but is
determined by nature itself.
 A CONVENTIONAL OR ARBITRARY SIGN

 Is one whose connection with what it signifies arises either from convention or custom or from the
arbitrary will of man. Except for a few onomatopoeic words that are formed in imitation of certain sounds
( “bow-wow,” “moo”, “meow”, “ping-pong”, “crash”, “slap”, “pop” ), there is nothing in the make-up of
a given word that requires it to have a particular meaning.

 Their resemblance to the sound they signify is so slight that you would not know their meanings from the
words alone.

 Terms are convention or arbitrary signs. It does not follow from this, however, that we are free to give
them any meaning we want to without any limitation. The meaning of these words are already fixed by
usage

Example. We cannot, for instance use “wolf” to signify the animal commonly called “sheep”, or “nitwit”
to signify “beloved”.

 To some extent, of course, we must coin words to signify concepts for which there is no suitable word. To
some extent, too, we can give words the meanings that we want to. We shall recur to this point when we
take up nominal definition.
 d. “Sign of a Concept”

 Terms signify concepts directly and immediately; indirectly and

through the intermediacy of concepts they also signify things.
 2.) KINDS OF TERM:
UNIVOCAL, EQUIVOCAL, AND
ANALOGOUS
 a. Univocal Terms

 Are applied to their inferiors in exactly the sense. In

other words, a term is univocal if it signifies exactly
the same concept, or essence, in ( at least ) two
occurrences of the term.
 b. Equivocal Terms

 Are applied to their inferiors in a completely different

sense. They stand for different concepts, or essences, in
each of ( at least ) two occurrences of the term; it is a pure
accident that the same term is applied to different kinds of
inferiors ( or else we have lost sight of, or no longer advert
to, an original similarity of meaning ).
 Equivocal terms signify as many concepts as they have
completely different meanings.
 c. Analogous Terms

 Are applied to their inferiors in a sense that is party the same and
partly different.
 The inferiors of an analogous terms are called Primary analogues: is
one to which is term is applied primarily and absolutely. Secondary
analogues: is one to which is term is applied secondarily and
relatively.
 (1) INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC ANALOGY

 INTRINSIC ANALOGY: is intrinsic if the concept that is

signified by an analogous term is realized in each of the
analogues of the term.
 EXTRINSIC ANALOGY: is extrinsic if the concept
signified by an analogous term is realized only in its
primary analogues.
(2) ANALOGY OF PROPORTIONALITY AND ATTRIBUTION

 ANALOGY OF PROPORTIONALITY: is based on a similarity of two

relationships.
 ANALOGY OF ATTRIBUTION: is based on relationship of a secondary
analogue to a primary analogue.
3. SUPPOSITION OF TERMS
 a. Notion of Supposition

 Supposition is the property ( that terms acquire from their use in a

proposition ) by which a term stands for a definite one of the
various things that it can stand for.
 b. Kinds of Supposition

1) SUPPOSITION OF SUBJECT TERMS: is either material or

formal, and formal supposition has several subdivisions.
a. MATERIAL SUPPOSITION: is the use of a term for the
spoken or written sign itself, but not for what it signifies.
b. FORMAL SUPPOSITION: is the use of a term for what it
signifies.
 1.) LOGICAL SUPPOSITION: is the use of a term for a second
intention.
 2.) REAL SUPPOSITION: is the use of a term for a first intention.
a. ABSOLUTE SUPPOSITION: is the use of a term for an
essence as such, presiding from, but not excluding, actual existence in
the real order.
b. PERSONAL SUPPOSITION: is the use of term, not for an
essence as such, but for the subject in which the essence signified by a
term is realized.