Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A semantic or ontological error by which a property (or category) is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: category error
Antonyms: none provided
History
Popularized by philosopher Gilbert Ryle in The Concept of Mind (1949), where it is applied to the notion of a ghost in the machine.
