Ḥaqīqah is a use that agrees with the meaning assigned to a word in the convention governing the conversation. The definition requires an actual occurrence, a recognized assigned sense, and identification of the appropriate linguistic register.
The objections concerning assignment, particles, homonymous words, allusion, and natural sound–meaning relations illuminate the limits of this criterion. The lesson’s conclusion is not to force every use into one category, but to distinguish the assigned sense, the intended sense, and any relevant indicator.
On this foundation, the definition and classification of figurative usage can be developed precisely: what sense has been transferred, what is the relation, and which contextual indicator makes the transfer intelligible?