DEF 
ne ntrr¢e ¢ 
Terral remote f; 
n their common centre, 
they neceflarily acquire a eeeater perimeter, or circumfer- 
ence; confequently, the outwork3 cover a far greater mea- 
furement of area, than the body of the place. This exten- 
ion admits of, an a greater variety of flanks, &c, 
ne) 
to arrange the w 
fyftem of mutual defence, without giving the enemy a fhelter, 
or eventually even a battery, from which he may be enabied 
to annoy the garrifon. Want of care in this particular has 
been fatal to many fortified places. 
Fortreffes Lee on ground interfeGed by fey ae or 
o Derive, to go off file by See Fi a 
The army began to defile on a left, and was forced to 
defile at each end of the field, on account of the morafles 
and the woods. 
DEFINITE, in Grammar, is applied to an article that 
has a precife determinate fignification. 
uc 
&c. which fix and afcertaiathe noun they belong to, to feme 
particular; us the nes 
king, de roy, the articles of and de, mark n 
and are therefore | indefinite. Se 
DEFINIT %y an metas of the chief 
fimple ideas ieee a compound idea confifts; in order. to 
afcertain or explain its nature and character. 
The {choolmen give very imperfe& notions-of definitions 
Some define it the firft no 
a thing, whereby it is diftinguifhed from every other, gi 
sie baa all the other things, that w we conceive of it, 
ee £ precife ; 
a 
er 
a 
“t 
B 
owe 
Ss 
a 
a 
a 
o 
o 
cy 
eg 
rx) 
nly to oe the 
ro 
Hence, accordin 
any thing, viz. phyfical parts, metaphyfical parts, &c. arife fo 
any different kinds of defiaitions of the fame thin 
man is either defined an animal, confifting of foul-and body; 
or, a reafonable animal, &c. 
Definitions are of two kinds; the one zominal, or; of the 
flame: ak ea bey or, of ‘the thing ; 
nual Deri INITION, is that 
pine it out of oan what the fubjeét is that is intended, or 
denoted by the name. This is what is meant by definition 
in eee 
Such i tion of a fquare, vitae itis faid to be a. 
quadrilateral, ed reCtangular figu 
are the articles the in Englifh, Je and /a in French,,. i 
le roy ; whereas, in the quality of 
tion, or conception, that arifes of 
- is much lefs convenient and in 
23 thus, : 
DEF 
By definition of the name, is either meant a declaration is r 
the ideas and characters appropriated to the word in the co 
mon ulage of the language ;: or t 
ourfe. Forit may: be sea that the fignificancy of any 
word depends eal ) -will;-and we may affix what. 
idea we pleafeto a — ibe itfelf fignifies ncthing at all. 
The definition of the e, therefore, imthe fecond fenfe, 
is merely arbitrary, and aunt never to be called in qneftion ; 
only it is to be minded, that we keepinviolably to the fame 
fignification: lence, a definition comes to ftand, or to be 
ade ufe of as an undoubted, or felf-evident maxim; as it: 
no man. cou nd fault with the deBinitio cae as far a 
preffes what he means by the word heat; but this. does not 
bindeeu us from cys that hae is any thing in the body 
what we feel in ourfelves. 
FINITION tae thing, or real DEFINITION, 1s property 
nm enumeration of the principal | caus of a thing, 
order t erenieey or explain its natu 
Thus, a circle is defined a fivore, ae circumference is 
every where equidiftant from its centre. 
‘Wolfius defines a-real definition to be a diftin& notion; 
explaining the genefis of a thing, that i 18) ne manner wheres 
t of a circle,. 
that warms us, like 
4 wa 
nee asa ha definition re a circle, amounts to no more 
than a nominal on 
This notion fa areal definition is very ftriG and juft; and 
affords a a fofcient diftin@ion between a real and a nominal: 
one. But though it has the advantages of analogy, diltints 
nefs; and conveniency on its fide ; yet, being only itfelf a» 
nominal definition, z.c. a definitton.of the term-real definie 
tion, we muft confider it in that me that is, an idea fixed 
e arbitrarily to that word, and which the author always de- 
notes by that word in the cue of his book. But, in effeé,. 
it-is not the ufual fcnfe, or oe of the term; which 
Ris itis to that ufual. 
acceptation we-are here chiefly to e regar 
Definitions are an ars oh Gan and inaccurate $ - 
fi e ftritly call a definition ; the fe- 
cond, we difkinguith mee the name oF. defcription. 
Of the arts enumerate dina definition, fome are common 
hereto : 
a from its centre ; :the word figure is the find, as being 
a name common to all other figures, as well as the circle 3. 
the are are the difference which fpecify, or diftinguith this | 
figure from every other figure. hence arifes that rule 
of F. de Colonia, for: the making of a definition. . ‘* Take,?? © 
fays he, ‘ fomething that is-common.to the thing defined with - 
other things, and add to it aaa that. is proper, or pes 
¢ genus and fpecific differ - 
n.? gr. vetoric 
¢ to 
common to it with feveral other things ; ; but that it-is the 
rt of {peaking well, .is peculiar to it alone. 
There - 
