What does "categoricity" mean?
The quality of being categorical.
Categoricity
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The quality of being categorical.
- Grammar: categoricity is listed as noun.
- Usage evidence: For the arithmeticity of the axioms of PA—i. e. the claim that they can be seen as true on the basis of our basic grasp of the structure of the natural numbers—is motivated by Isaacson by appealing to the categoricity of PA 2, the second-order theory which provides us with a categorical characterization of the natural numbers as the smallest structure closed under a one-to-one successor operation and containing an element which is not the successor of any element.
How to use "categoricity"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "categoricity" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "categoricity" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The quality of being categorical. uncountable
"For the arithmeticity of the axioms of PA—i. e. the claim that they can be seen as true on the basis of our basic grasp of the structure of the natural numbers—is motivated by Isaacson by appealing to the categoricity of PA 2, the second-order theory which provides us with a categorical characterization of the natural numbers as the smallest structure closed under a one-to-one successor operation and containing an element which is not the successor of any element."
Example
"For the arithmeticity of the axioms of PA—i. e. the claim that they can be seen as true on the basis of our basic grasp of the structure of the natural numbers—is motivated by Isaacson by appealing to the categoricity of PA 2, the second-order theory which provides us with a categorical characterization of the natural numbers as the smallest structure closed under a one-to-one successor operation and containing an element which is not the successor of any element."
Common questions
How do you use "categoricity" in a sentence?
For the arithmeticity of the axioms of PA—i. e. the claim that they can be seen as true on the basis of our basic grasp of the structure of the natural numbers—is motivated by Isaacson by appealing to the categoricity of PA 2, the second-order theory which provides us with a categorical characterization of the natural numbers as the smallest structure closed under a one-to-one successor operation and containing an element which is not the successor of any element.
Etymology
From categoric + -ity.