Because
is treated as a dialectic of
,
we can expect any attempt at a
formal
definition of
to be rather vague and indistinct. In fact,
The Homeless Mathematician
will argue that it is a categorical mistake to attempt any definition of
.
This is because any definition is an instance of Reasoning by
.
As such,
is beyond the scope of what may be defined in a comprehensive manner.
The key to a deep understanding of
is the use of Reasoning by
,
as presented in
The Paradigm of Form and Substance.
Further, the word
is rather unusual in that it may be used as either a noun, an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb. This duality of grammatical usage is in conformity to
The Canonical Form of Distinction, as detailed in the treatment of
Non-Numerical Arithemetic.
Specifically,
may be treat as specifying either intent or content.
The kind reader is invited to study a dictionary definition of
to determine the veracity of these claims by
The Homeless Mathematician.
noun
- a. The shape and structure of an object. b. The body or outward appearance of a person or an animal considered separately from the face or head; figure.
- a. The essence of something. b. The mode in which a thing exists, acts, or manifests itself; kind: a form of animal life; a form of blackmail.
- a. Procedure as determined or governed by regulation or custom. b. A fixed order of words or procedures, as for use in a ceremony; a formula.
- A document with blanks for the insertion of details or information: insurance forms.
- a. Manners or conduct as governed by etiquette, decorum, or custom. b. Behavior according to a fixed or accepted standard: Tardiness is considered bad form. c. Performance considered with regard to acknowledged criteria: a good jump shooter having an unusual form.
- a. Proven ability to perform: a musician at the top of her form. b. Fitness, as of an athlete or animal, with regard to health or training. c. The past performance of a racehorse. d. A racing form.
- a. Method of arrangement or manner of coordinating elements in literary or musical composition or in organized discourse: presented my ideas in outline form; a treatise in the form of a dialogue. b. A particular type or example of such arrangement: The essay is a literary form. c. The design, structure, or pattern of a work of art: symphonic form.
- a. A mold for the setting of concrete. b. A model of the human figure or part of it used for displaying clothes. c. A proportioned model that may be adjusted for fitting clothes.
- A grade in a British secondary school or in some American private schools: the sixth form.
- a. A linguistic form. b. The external aspect of words with regard to their inflections, pronunciation, or spelling: verb forms.
- a. Chiefly British. A long seat; a bench. b. The resting place of a hare.
- Botany. A subdivision of a variety usually differing in one trivial characteristic, such as flower color.
verb
formed, form·ing, forms verb, transitive
- a. To give form to; shape: form clay into figures. b. To develop in the mind; conceive: form an opinion.
- a. To shape or mold (dough, for example) into a particular form. b. To arrange oneself in: Holding out his arms, the cheerleader formed a T. The acrobats formed a pyramid. c. To organize or arrange: The environmentalists formed their own party. d. To fashion, train, or develop by instruction or precept: form a child's mind.
- To come to have; develop or acquire: form a habit.
- To constitute or compose a usually basic element, part, or characteristic of.
- a. To produce (a tense, for example) by assuming an inflection: form the pluperfect. b. To make (a word) by derivation or composition.
- To put in order; arrange.
verb, intransitive
- To become formed or shaped.
- To come into being by taking form; arise.
- To assume a specified form, shape, or pattern.
[Middle English forme, from Latin forma.]
Synonyms: form, figure, shape, configuration, contour, profile.
These nouns refer to the external outline of a thing.
- Form is the outline and structure of a thing as opposed to its substance: stalactites of curious forms; a garden in the form of a lovers' knot.
- Figure refers usually to form as established by bounding or enclosing lines: The cube is a solid geometric figure. "Europe is disclosed as a prone and emaciated figure, the Alps shaping like a backbone, and the branching mountain chains like ribs, the peninsular plateau of Spain forming a head" (Thomas Hardy).
- Shape implies three-dimensional definition that indicates both outline and bulk or mass: "Rowing [at night], he faced her, a hooded and cloaked shape" (Joseph Conrad).
- Configuration stresses the pattern formed by the arrangement of parts within an outline: The map shows the configuration of the North American continent, with its mountains, rivers, and plains.
- Contour refers especially to the outline of a three-dimensional figure: I ran my finger along the soft, curving contour of the child's cheek.
- Profile denotes the outline of something viewed against a background and especially the outline of the human face in side view: We glimpsed the profile of the church steeple against the last glow of the sunset. The profile of the old warrior was characterized by a strong jaw and an aquiline nose.
Copyright © 1995.
Formal Formulations.
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Updated 95/11/04