subsumption

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act or process of including a particular case, concept, or proposition under a broader category or principle

   The theory gained wider scope through the subsumption of several narrower explanations under one general rule.

2. 2
   noun

   logic: the placement of a minor term or proposition under the more general class expressed by a major premise

   The argument depends on the subsumption of this individual case under the universal rule.

Borrowed from New Latin subsumptio, from subsumere ("to take under"), formed from Latin sub- ("under") + sumere ("to take"). Its logical sense preserves that image: a particular case or proposition is brought under a wider category or rule.

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