n.
Pronunciation: ' nä-m ə -n ə - ˌ li-z ə m, ' näm-n ə - ˌ li-z ə m
Function: noun
Date: 1844
1 : a theory that there are no universal essences in reality and that the mind can frame no single concept or image corresponding to any universal or general term
2 : the theory that only individuals and no abstract entities (as essences, classes, or propositions) exist ― compare ESSENTIALISM , REALISM
– nom · i · nal · ist \ -ist, -list \ noun
– nominalist or nom · i · nal · is · tic \ ˌ nä-m ə -n ə - ' lis-tik, ˌ näm-n ə - ' lis- \ adjective