Abstracta

as 'drawn away from'

Morphological analysis

• Etymon: Abstracta from Latin abstrahō: 'draw away from'
• Morpheme breakdown: abs: 'away from' + tract: 'draw' + -a (plural suffix) → 'draws away from'

Essential definition

Abstracta are conceptual entities drawn away from concrete particulars, serving as non-material tools for explanation, structure, and navigation of reality.

Semantic context

• Conventional sense: an idea or way of thinking based on general ideas rather than on real things and events. (Note: Semantic drift from essential meaning)
• Essential meaning (my usage): drawn away from

Philosophical significance

Abstracta do not exist in the world like physical objects, yet they are indispensable for explaining and navigating reality, functioning as a map to the terrain of existence. They reveal the conditions and relationships that make existence intelligible, acting as invariant constants within processes like the conference of difference.

Usage in this lexicon

When I use the word abstracta in my work, I mean exactly 'drawn away from'. This definition:

• enables explanation and understanding as abstracta serve as conceptual tools that allow us to explain and predict and map reality and make existence intelligible without being part of it;
• provides invariant structure as they act as constant and unchanging relations like numbers that reveal deterministic truths and coherence within systems and independent of physical variation;
• facilitates navigation of reality as abstracta function as a 'map' to the 'terrain' of existence and help us model and quantify and interpret the world without themselves being material or existent.

Related terms

• Existence

Sources

• Wiktionary

This definition follows morphological essentialism principles. See the Methodology for details.