| 释义 |
polythetic, a.|pɒlɪˈθɛtɪk|
[f. poly- + Gr. θετ-ός placed, arranged + -ic 1.]
Sharing a number of common characteristics, without any one of these being essential for membership of the group or class in question. So polyˈthetically adv.
1962P. H. A. Sneath in Ainsworth & Sneath Microbial Classification 291 Such groups, in which several sets of characters occur, are called ‘polytypic’ by Beckner, but are better called polythetic. Phenetic taxa are always in theory polythetic. 1963Sokal & Sneath Princ. Numerical Taxon. ii. 15 Polythetic groups can..be arranged polythetically to give higher polythetic groups, as is done in building a hierarchy in the natural system. 1969E. Mayr Princ. Systematic Zool. iv. 83 No single feature is essential for membership in a polythetically defined taxon. 1972S. Themerson Special Branch 75 Let it take a polythetic way of classifying: let it consider the largest possible number of characteristics for each fact or object. 1972C. Renfrew Emergence of Civilisation 11 It is now possible to make a statement about civilisations which does not seek to define them in terms of a single principal culture trait, or even polythetically, in terms of, for example, two out of three traits. 1976Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. LXVII. 379 Most human concepts are polythetic..which means that no particular attribute or combination of attributes need necessarily be present (or absent) for an object to belong to a given category. |