Chapter 8

A definition is a concise statement setting forth the nature of the thing in question, that is to say, such statement as expresses in brief the nature of the thing in question. For example, man is a rational mortal animal capable of intelligence and knowledge. Now, many men have discoursed at length on the nature of man, that is, they have written long and extensive treatises on the subject. But these are not concise and, therefore, arc not definitions. There are also consise statements, such as apophthegms, but, since they do not .set forth the nature of a thing, they are not definitions. A n