The word “concept” and the word “definition” are two terms that we come across very often in everyday life. We constantly use them in colloquial speech, often without thinking about what they really mean.

Modern individuals, in their overwhelming majority, use linguistic categories at the level of intuition, and almost never try to thoroughly understand the meaning of a particular meaning. It seems that everything is already clear. But meanwhile, without these two words (or rather, without these two basic mechanisms of thinking that are hidden behind them), our brain would never be able to form a correct picture of the world around us. The properties of objects and phenomena would be unknown to us, and linguistic communication would be many times difficult, because in many cases we would simply not be able to understand each other. So, dear readers, let's finally look at...

What is the concept

A concept is one of the terms that operates dialectical philosophy. This word has a great many definitions. Many famous philosophers gave their personal interpretation of this category. Among them were Hegel, Lenin, Berkov, Azarenka and many others. Lenin, for example, called the concept the highest product of the activity of the human brain, which, in turn, is the highest manifestation of living matter. To be more understandable to the reader, we provide the shortest definition of the term “concept”, which explains its essence in the most concise form.

A concept is one of the main forms of human thinking, which reflects in general terms the essence of the phenomena and objects of the real world around us, highlighting both general and specific features among them, and consolidating the experience gained in definitions.

What is the definition

What, then, is a “definition”? This is another philosophical term that is characteristic of both dialectical philosophy and logic, in which it has another name - definition.

Definition (definition) is precise interpretation of a concept, carrying a clear, fixed meaning.

Simple examples to help you better understand the meaning and significance of these two terms

So, we figured out that a concept is the general characteristics of an object or phenomenon (or a group of objects or phenomena), information about which our brain received through the senses. In fact, such information, which has undergone primary processing, is an abstraction that reflects only the general characteristics of objects. Thus, the words and phrases that we use in everyday speech are nothing more than a form through which we can express our concepts.

Every concept must have a definition. Otherwise, it risks being labeled “vague” and adding to the vast vocabulary of “empty” aphorisms of demagoguery. It is thanks to definitions that we know the exact meaning of a particular phrase.

It is thanks to definitions that we can use synonyms. It is thanks to definitions that we are able to distinguish homonyms in our speech. After all, many words in our language, with the same spelling and pronunciation, have diametrically opposite meanings (homonyms). And vice versa - many components of our speech have different spellings and pronunciations, but mean the same thing (synonyms). If there were no definitions, then humanity would cease to understand each other. It is thanks to definitions that we have a detailed understanding of any action and process occurring in the reality around us.

To better assimilate the knowledge gained, let's look at simple examples of concepts and definitions that will help us better understand the difference between these terms.

Example one

The word "braid" has several meanings. This is a sea sandbank, a woman’s hairstyle, and an agricultural tool. In this case, “braid” is an uncertain concept. But if we say - light brown braid, then this will already be a certain concept. If we say – Margarita Popova’s light brown braid, then this will already be a definition. That is, we will not be talking about some kind of abstraction here, but about a specific object, the description and properties of which are well known to us (or we can recognize them).

Example two

As a second example that will help us distinguish a concept from a definition, the word “ element" At the moment it is also an uncertain concept for us. We don't know exactly what this object is. This could be a battery in the control panel, one of the parts of a metal structure, or a social stratum of society. Our brain needs more information. When it is received, it turns out that it is a chemical element. Now the indefinite concept passes into the definite. Upon closer examination, it turns out that it is plutonium. From this moment on, a certain concept becomes a definition. That is, abstraction turns into a concrete object with precise, fixed properties.

The difference between a concept and a definition

In order to better navigate this issue, we provide a short list of the main differences between the category “concept” and the category “definition”.

Concept - represents endless mental abstraction, where an indefinite number of objects or phenomena can be entered. Definition - is a fixed description of any one specific object or phenomenon.

category of abstract thinking

A concept is not constrained in cognition by any conventions or mental boundaries that cannot be crossed. Therefore, in contrast to the definition, it is much closer to the main root cause (the Absolute).
The concept already contains truth, while definition is the process aimed at identifying this truth.

We hope that the article you just read helped you better understand what a “concept” is and understand what a “definition” is. In conclusion, I would like to wish you good luck in your further mastery of complex philosophical terms, which in fact turn out to be not so difficult. The main thing is to show a little persistence and curiosity in mastering a specific issue. All the best to you.

Greek ????, lat. terminus – border, limit, end) – 1) In the widest modern. when used, T. is a synonym for the word (and name, see Name), but with a connotation of special (scientific) meaning; in other words, T. are words or combinations of words (complex, or descriptive, T., for example, “common least multiple”), the meanings of which are determined in the context of the corresponding scientific. theory (discipline) or in general in k.-l. branches of knowledge. In this sense, the frequently arising problem of clarifying T. involves their definition, the elimination of homonyms, and the obligatory fixation of the universe of reasoning (see Universe). 2) In Greek philosophy. ???? and lat. terminus was used to mean the definition of essence, i.e. as something that fixes the stable and enduring - the general, the unified or the idea, as opposed to the fluid and continuously changing sensory being (cf. Aristotle, Met. I 6 987 b 6; Russian translation, M.-L., 1934). That is, in this sense, i.e. as general definitions, or concepts, were considered as the basis of rational (true) Knowledge. 3) In Aristotle’s logic, T. are the elements of premises. "The terms of the premise - its subject and predicate - are the boundaries of the premise, its beginning and end. This is the meaning of the word ????, and we must be careful not to identify this logical word with such psychological and metaphysical words as "idea", " representation", "concept"..." (Lukasevich Ya., Aristotelian syllogistic from the point of view of modern formal logic, translated from English, M., 1959, pp. 36–37). In the meaning of the simplest (basic) elements of logic and mathematics. expressions the word "T." widely used in modern times. lit-re. For example, in languages of applied logic and mathematics. calculus T. is an analogue of the subject or object of natural (spoken) languages, i.e. expression (word) denoting (often “describing”) a person. subject of the universe. (In Russian literature, in this case, instead of the word “T.” they usually write term, i.e. French terme or English term are used without a pen.) See also Art. Syllogism, Term. Lit.: Mill D.S., System of syllogistic and inductive logic, trans. from English, M., 1914, p. 15–32; Chelpanov G.I., Textbook of logic, [M.], 1946, ch. 2; Aristotle, Analysts first and second, M., 1952, p. 10. M. Novoselov. Moscow.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

TERM

1. In formal logic, a concept expressed in a word (philosophy). Three terms of a syllogism.

2. A word that is the name of a strictly defined concept. Precise, imprecise term. Lucky, unlucky term. New term. Philosophical terms. Technical terms. Special terms (denoting special concepts of certain branches of science, art, technology, production, etc.). “...for the masses it is necessary to write without such new terms that require special explanation...” Lenin .

|| A special word and expression adopted to designate something in a particular environment or profession. Card game terms. Chess terms.

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935-1940.

Synonyms:

See what "TERM" is in other dictionaries:

- (from Latin terminus border, limit, end), 1) a name with a special connotation. (scientific) its meaning, specified in the context of k. l. theory or branch of knowledge. 2) In antiquity philosophy, a concept that captures stable and enduring aspects... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- (lat. terminus). 1) an accepted conventional expression, a name characteristic of any science or craft. 2) deadline. 3) among the Romans: the god of boundaries, to whom the festival of terminalia was established. 4) border post, column. 5) in logic: the name of the concept,... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Terminus). Roman deity of boundaries, originally the god of boundaries and boundary stones. A temple to him was built by King Numa, and the festival of Terminalia was celebrated in his honor. (Source: “A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, ... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology

Term- TERM is a word that has a special, strictly defined meaning. Used in science and technology. In connection with the general history of science and technology, the most magnificent development of which is associated with the 19th and 20th centuries, the terms, by origin, ... ... Dictionary of literary terms

See word... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and similar expressions. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian Dictionaries, 1999. term name, word; differentiation, numerator, antilogarithm, continuum, quotient, determinant, extremum, factorial,... ... Dictionary of synonyms

- (from Latin terminus boundary limit), a word or combination of words denoting a special concept used in science, technology, and art. In modern logic, the word term is often used as a general noun in the language of logical... ...

- (from the Latin terminus border, limit), a word or combination of words denoting a special concept used in science, technology, art... Modern encyclopedia

- (Latin terminus limit boundary), in Roman mythology, the guardian god of boundary signs, was revered among the peasants. His feast of terminalia was celebrated on February 23... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (lat. terminus limit, boundary) a word or phrase denoting empirical or abstract objects, the meaning of which is specified within the framework of scientific theory. Depending on the presence or absence of a denotation (referent) of T. in the defined... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

TERM, ah, husband. A word or phrase is the name of a certain concept. special field of science, technology, art. Technical terms. Mathematics terms. Dictionary of musical terms. | adj. terminological, oh, oh. Intelligent... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

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What is a term? Meaning and interpretation of the word termin, definition of the term

Term- (from Latin terminus - border, limit, end of a part) - 1) in the broadest sense - a word or phrase in natural language denoting an object (real or abstract). In connection with this understanding of T., the question of the meaning, meaning of T. used in one context or another is constantly discussed, since ordinary language is polysemantic; 2) T. in science - a word or phrase used to designate objects within a particular science or scientific theory. In this case, T. are distinguished by their uniqueness, and special requirements are imposed on their introduction into science. In logic, T. is a word, a name for the objects of the universe (see: Universe of reasoning, Term), to designate the subject and predicate of a judgment, as well as to designate the elements of the premises of a syllogism.

Term

(from Latin terminus - border, limit, end of a part) - 1) in the broadest sense - a word or phrase in natural language denoting an object (real or abstract). In connection with this understanding of T., the question of the meaning, meaning of T. used in one context or another is constantly discussed, since ordinary language is polysemantic; 2) T. in science - a word or phrase used to designate objects within a particular science or scientific theory. In this case, T. are distinguished by their uniqueness, and special requirements are imposed on their introduction into science. In logic, T. is a word, a name for the objects of the universe (see: Universe of reasoning, Term), to designate the subject and predicate of a judgment, as well as to designate the elements of the premises of a syllogism.

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The Language of Logic is a language specially created by modern logic for its own purposes...
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The term and its basic features

The development of science, technology and production expands the boundaries of modern knowledge. New sciences are emerging, separate branches of already existing sciences are emerging, new concepts are denoted by names of a special kind - terms. With the help of terminological vocabulary, the experience accumulated by humanity is accumulated and transmitted. Therefore, terminology is one of the most interesting and extensive layers of vocabulary of modern languages.

The fact that there is no specific, unambiguous interpretation of the very concept of “term” leads to different interpretations of the definitions of this linguistic phenomenon. The lexeme “term” is used very widely to denote the most diverse special concepts. This is an obstacle to creating a unified logical definition. According to researchers, there are currently more than 3,000 definitions of the concept “term”. V.P. Danilenko talks about the existence of a record number of meanings of the word “term” and cites 19 definitions of this word in support.

Some researchers, without entering into discussions, simply give the term a working definition. For example, T.L. Kandelaki defines the term as follows: “A term is understood as a word or a lexicalized phrase that requires the construction of a definition to establish its meaning in the corresponding system of concepts.”

In dictionaries you can also find different interpretations of the concept “term”, reflecting the diversity of approaches. For example, the “Dictionary of Onomastic Terms” provides the following definition: “...A term is a word or phrase of a special (scientific, technical, etc.) language, directly related to a scientific concept, serving for its exact (ideally) expression. The function of the term is significative-nominative-definitive.<…>Origin term: lat. Terminus ‘the god of the boundary and boundary stone (among the ancient Romans), who protected the inviolability of the land and set boundaries’; terminus ‘limit, boundary’.”

The “Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary” gives the following definition: “A term is a word or phrase denoting the concept of a special field of knowledge or activity.”

Thus, there are different approaches to defining a term, based primarily on the opposition of a term as a unit of special vocabulary and a word as a unit of common vocabulary.

The heterogeneity of interpretations makes it impossible to create a single conceptual definition of the concept “term”. Therefore, in our study, we used the following definition as a working one: term – a word or phrase denoting the concept of a special field of knowledge or activity.

In terminological works, researchers have different approaches to defining the main features of the term. For example, G.O. Vinokur was the first to note the nominative orientation of the term: “Terms are not special words, but only words with a special function. The special function in which the term appears is the function of naming. An everyday term is the name of a thing. Meanwhile, a scientific and technical term is certainly the name of a concept.” (Quoted in: .) This point of view has not been accepted by all linguists. According to A.A. Reformatsky, “the nominative function is a common function of all words, and not just terms; nomenclature is precisely more nominative than terminology. Consequently, the nominative function cannot be decisive in determining the specificity of the term.” The scientist proposes that when distinguishing between a term and a non-term, we give primary importance to the sphere of use of words, i.e. purely functional criterion. The functional point of view on the internal nature of the term is supported by many modern terminologists.

Most researchers, following Academician V.V. Vinogradov considers the main definitive function of the term, i.e. They believe that a necessary condition for the existence of a term is the presence of a clear definition within the framework of a given terminology system. The scope and content of the concept reflected by the term are recorded in the specialized literature and are included in the system of professional knowledge in this area. Consequently, in order for a word to become a term, it must have a definition in the specialized literature. This definition is usually called a definition. The definitive criterion plays a significant role in determining the basic concepts of a particular field of knowledge.

However, there are many terminological definitions, and experts do not have a clear idea of how a terminological definition should differ from all others. In addition, as noted, there are conflicting points of view on the definition of the very concept of “term”.

In modern works on terminology, when defining a term, they proceed from the specific requirements for it. These requirements are semantic, formal and pragmatic.

The semantic characteristics of the term should be the following: definitiveness, i.e. each term is compared with a clear definition that focuses on the corresponding concept; completeness, i.e. reflection in the meaning of a term of the minimum number of features sufficient to identify the concept it denotes; accuracy (although in sublanguages there are many “falsely orienting” (D.S. Lotte’s term) units; independence from context; unambiguity within one terminosphere; lack of synonymy.

The formal requirements for a term are its compliance with the norms and rules of the language, consistency, brevity (this requirement often conflicts with the requirement for accuracy), derivational abilities, invariance of forms, i.e. lack of inconsistency in writing, lack of emotionality and expressiveness.

Pragmatic characteristics include internationality, modernity, common usage, euphony, etc.

At the same time, researchers note that terms “are not isolated, independent, “selected” units of common language, possessing only their inherent properties,<…>we can talk about the predominant nature of the properties of the term compared to the commonly used word.” Interesting in this regard is the point of view of S.D. Shelov, who believes that “of the five properties with the help of which terms are often characterized as special words and isolated from the general linguistic lexicon, four (unambiguousness, accuracy, nominativity, lack of emotionality and expressiveness) cannot be considered, and the fifth (systematicity) remains in largely unclear." The scientist suggests the following features that should be taken into account when interpreting a term: a) the meaning of a sign (word or phrase) belonging to any field of knowledge is what makes the sign terminological; b) the terminology of a sign (word or phrase) is determined only in relation to some system of explanation of its meaning (for example, in relation to a system of definitions); c) the terminology of a sign is greater, the more information is required to identify its meaning according to a given system of explanations.