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category

[ kat-i-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural categories.

any general or comprehensive division; a class.
Synonyms: , ,
a classificatory division in any field of knowledge, as a phylum or any of its subdivisions in biology.
Metaphysics.
1. (in Aristotelian philosophy) any of the fundamental modes of existence, such as substance, quality, and quantity, as determined by analysis of the different possible kinds of predication.
2. (in Kantian philosophy) any of the fundamental principles of the understanding, as the principle of causation.
3. any classification of terms that is ultimate and not susceptible to further analysis.
categories. Also called Guggenheim. (used with a singular verb) a game in which a key word and a list of categories, as dogs, automobiles, or rivers, are selected, and in which each player writes down a word in each category that begins with each of the letters of the key word, the player writing down the most words within a time limit being declared the winner.
Mathematics. a type of mathematical object, as a set, group, or metric space, together with a set of mappings from such an object to other objects of the same type.
Grammar. part of speech.

noun

a class or group of things, people, etc, possessing some quality or qualities in common; a division in a system of classification
metaphysics any one of the most basic classes into which objects and concepts can be analysed
1. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) any one of ten most fundamental modes of being, such as quantity, quality, and substance
2. (in the philosophy of Kant) one of twelve concepts required by human beings to interpret the empirical world
3. any set of objects, concepts, or expressions distinguished from others within some logical or linguistic theory by the intelligibility of a specific set of statements concerning them See also category mistake

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Word History and Origins

Origin of category¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin ��ŧ��ǰ��, from Greek �첹��ŧ��ǰ�í�� “accusation” (in logic, “predication”), from �첹��ŧ��ǰ��î�� “to accuse, affirm,” from kata- cata- + ��ǰ��ú�𾱲� “to speak before the agora ¹ ” + -ia -y ³

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Word History and Origins

Origin of category¹

C15: from Late Latin ��ŧ��ǰ��, from Greek �첹��ŧ��ǰ��, from kategorein to accuse, assert

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"In that category of so-called natural causes deaths are 30 and 40-year-olds who are dying from things like heart attacks or from diabetes or epilepsy," said Prof Armstrong.

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"Over 1,000 of them were for grassland and wildfire callouts, with 19 of them in the significant category. It shows the importance of heeding any warnings."

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But the women's weight category that has hitherto been neglected.

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That one belongs in a category of its own and given the unbearable, unforgivable and entirely avoidable human tragedy involved, offers no opportunity for humor.

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Winners were announced in 13 categories for works published last year.

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Related Words

categorize Category A

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