N O M 
tlie eleventh century, was a perfon called John, who, on 
account of his logical fubtilty, was called the Sopjiijl, and 
his principal difciples were Robert of Paris, Rol'celine of 
Compeigne, and Arnoul of'Laon. 
This new opinion gave great offence to the philofophers 
and divines of the eleventh century, perhaps chiefly be- 
caufe Rofceline, by applying it to the doftrine of the 
Trinity, brought upon himfelf a fufpicion of herefy. 
Many young perfons, however, ftrenuoufly adhered to the 
fide of the Nominalifts; and the feft, through the inge¬ 
nuity and ability of Abelard and others, obtained many 
followers. Some of thefe, to avoid cenfure, changed their 
ground fo far as to maintain, that univerfais confift in no¬ 
tions and conceptions of the mind, formed by abftraftion ; 
■whence they were called Conceptualijts. The Realifts, too, 
were of different opinions, fome leaning towards the doc¬ 
trine of Plato, and others towards that of Ariftotle. 
In the twelfth century, the controverfy Hill continued. 
At the beginning the Nominals had the upper hand ; but 
the Realifts, though greatly divided among thernfelves, 
were fupported by men of great abilities ; fuch as Al- 
bertus Magnus, T. Aquinas, and Duns Scotus. The 
Nominal feet became hereby into difrepute ; till William 
Occam, in the fourteenth century, again revived it, and 
filled France and Germany with the flame of deputation. 
This feft, enjoying the countenance and favour of Lou isXI. 
almoft univerfally flouriflied in Germany. Having joined 
the party of the Francifcan monks, who ftrenuoufly op- 
pofed John XXIII. that pope himfelf, and his fucceffors 
after him, left no means untried to extirpate the philofo- 
phy of the Nominalifts, which was deemed highly preju¬ 
dicial to the interefts of the church ; and hence it was, 
that in the year 1339, the univerfity of Paris, by a pub¬ 
lic edift, folemnly condemned and prohibited the philo- 
fopliy of Occam, which was that of the Nominalifts. The 
confequence was, that the Nominalifts flouriflied more than 
ever. In the fifteenth century, the controverfy was 
continued with unabating vigour and animofity; indeed 
the difputants were not content with ufing merely the 
force of eloquence, but had frequently recourfe to more 
Jioftile and dangerous weapons; and battles were the 
confequence of a philofophical queftion, which neither 
fide underftood. In moft places, however, the Realifts 
maintained a manifeft fuperiority over the Nominalifts. 
While the famous Gerfon and the moft eminent ot his 
difciples were living, the Nominalifts were in high efteem 
and credit in the univerfity of Paris; but, upon the death 
of thefe patrons, the face of things was much changed to 
their difadvantage. In the year 1474, Louis XI. by the 
inftigation of his confeflor, the bifhop of Avranches, iffued 
•out a fevere edift againft the doftrines of the Nominalifts, 
and ordered all their writings to be feized and fecured, 
that they might not be read by the people, requiring the 
academic youth to renounce their doftrines ; upon this, 
the leaders of the fedt fled into Germany and England, 
whence, at the beginning of the reformation, they met 
with a ftrong reinforcement in Luther, Melandfhon, and 
others. However, the fame monarch mitigated this edidt 
the year following, and permitted fome of the books of 
that fedt to be delivered from their confinement. In the 
year 1481, he not only granted a full liberty to the Nomi¬ 
nalifts and their writings, but all’o reftored that philofo¬ 
phical fedt to its former authority and luftre in the uni- 
verfity. Mojheim, vol. iii. 
The Nominalifts were the founders of the univerfity of 
Leipfic : there are many yet abroad who pique thernfelves 
on being Nominals. See Realists. 
NOMINA'LIA, f. [Latin.] The feftivals celebrated 
by the Romans when they gave names to their children. 
To NOM'INALIZE, v. a. To convert into a noun.—• 
Verbs, (where elfe circumlocution mull be ufed,) nomi- 
nalized, do admit one termination familiarly. Injlrutt.for 
Orat. 1682. 
NOMINALLY, adv. By name; with regard to a name; 
Vol. XVII. No. xtfM. 
N O M 123 
titularly.—This, nominally no tax, in reality comprehends 
all taxes. Burke. 
To NOM'INATE, v. a. [nomino , Lat.] To name; t© 
mention by name.—One lady, I may civilly fpare to nomi- 
nate, for herfex’s fake, whom he termed the fpider of the 
court. Wotton. 
Suddenly to nominate them all. 
It is impoflible. Shakefpeare's Hen. VI. 
To entitle; to call: 
Aread, old father, why of late 
Didft thou behight me born of Englifh blood, 
Whom all a fairy’s fon doen nominate! Spenfer. 
To fet down; to appoint by name.—Never having in¬ 
tended, never defigned, any heir in that fenfe, we cannot 
expedl he Ihould nominate or appoint any perfon to it. 
Locke. 
If you repay me not on fuch a day, let the forfeit 
Be nominated for an equal pound 
Of your fair flelh to be cut off. Shakefpcare. 
NOM'INATELY, adv. Particularly.— Locus rcligiofus 
is that which is afiigned to fome offices of religion, and no- 
minatcly where the body of a dead perfon hath been bu¬ 
ried. Spelman. 
NOMINA'TION, f. The aft of mentioning by name. 
—Hammond was named to be of the aflfembly of divines; 
his invincible loyalty to his prince, and obedience to his 
mother, the church, not beingfo valid arguments againft' 
his nomination, as the repute of his learning and virtue 
were on the other part, to have fome title to him. Fell's 
Life of Hammond. —The power of appointing.—In Eng¬ 
land the king has the nomination of an arch bifhop ; and, 
after nomination, he fends a conge d’elire to the dean and 
chapter, to eleft the perfon elefted by him. Ayliffc. —De¬ 
nomination.—Divers ebarafters are given to leveral per¬ 
fons, by which they are diftinguifhed from ail others of 
the fame common nomination. Pearfon on the Creed, Art. 3. 
Firft, fliew your nomination. 
Of my name to make declaracion, 
Without’any diflimulacion, 
I am call’d Friendlhip. Wcver's Moral, of Lujly Juventus, 
Nomination, in ecclefiaftical law, is the power (by 
virtue of fome manor or otherwife) of appointingclerk 
to a patron of a benefice, by him to be prefented to the 
ordinary. The right of nomination a man may have by 
deed ; and in fuch cafe, if the patron refufe to prefent the 
nominee, or prefent another, he may bring a rjuareimpedit. 
Where one hath the nomination, and another the prefenta- 
tion, if the right of prefentation Ihould afterwards come 
to the king, it is laid he who hath the nomination will be 
entitled to the prefentation alfo. Right of nomination 
may be forfeited to the crown as well as prefentation; 
where the nominator corruptly agrees to nominate, within 
the flatute of firnony, &c. See Advowson, vol. i. 
NOM'INATIVE, adj. Naming. In grammar, the epi¬ 
thet of the cafe that primarily deiignates the name of any 
thing, and is called right, in oppolition to the other cafes 
called oblique. —The nominative cafe cometh before the 
verb. Lilly. —He dares not thinke a thought that the no¬ 
minative cafe governes not the verb. Ovcrbury. 
NOM'INATIVE, yi That cafe of a noun in which it 
Hands as the agent or fubjeft of a verb.—Wherever this 
word occurs as a J'ubJiantive, cafe is evidently underftood. 
Mafon's Suppl. 
NOMINATOR, f. [Latin.] One that names or ap¬ 
points to a place.—While Tiberius Gracchus was creating 
new confuls, one of the nominators fuddenly fell down 
dead : however, Gracchus proceeded, and finifhed the 
creation. Benlletfs Phil. LipJ'. 
NOMINE'E, f. A perfon nominated to any place or 
office. 
NO'MION,/ in mufic, a kind of love-fong with the 
Kk Greeks,. 
