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nominalism

(-iz′əm)

noun

a philosophical doctrine of the late Middle Ages that all universal or abstract terms are mere necessities of thought or conveniences of language and therefore exist as names only with no ideal realities corresponding to them

Origin: Fr nominalisme: see nominal & -ism

Related Forms:

nominalist noun, adjective
nominalistic adjective

See nominalism in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
Philosophy

The doctrine holding that abstract concepts, general terms, or universals have no independent existence but exist only as names.

Related Forms:

nomˈi·nal·ist noun

nomˌi·nal·isˈtic adjective

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