The book calls an expression made from known concepts that clarifies an unfamiliar concept a muʿarrif or qawl shāriḥ. The item being defined is the muʿarraf (definiendum); the expression used to explain it is the muʿarrif (definiens). For example, “human” is explained using “rational animal.” Although the introduction discusses combining concepts, the text later accepts a near differentia or a distinctive property alone in certain incomplete definitions.
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What are a definiens and an explicative definition?
Definitions in Logic: Complete and Incomplete Ḥadd and Rasm
The book calls an expression made from known concepts that clarifies an unfamiliar concept a muʿarrif or qawl shāriḥ. The item being defined is the muʿarraf (definiendum); the expression used to explain it is the muʿarrif (definiens). For example, “human” is explained using “rational animal.” Although the introduction discusses combining concepts, the text later accepts a near differentia or a distinctive property alone in certain incomplete definitions.