part of
Intended meaning: Ambiguous between continuant-parthood and occurrent-parthood. domain: continuant range: continuant time: at some time domain: occurrent range: occurrent time: atemporal
Parthood as a relation between instances: The primitive instance-level relation p part_of p1 is illustrated in assertions such as: this instance of rhodopsin mediated phototransduction part_of this instance of visual perception. This relation satisfies at least the following standard axioms of mereology: reflexivity (for all p, p part_of p); anti-symmetry (for all p, p1, if p part_of p1 and p1 part_of p then p and p1 are identical); and transitivity (for all p, p1, p2, if p part_of p1 and p1 part_of p2, then p part_of p2). Analogous axioms hold also for parthood as a relation between spatial regions. For parthood as a relation between continuants, these axioms need to be modified to take account of the incorporation of a temporal argument. Thus for example the axiom of transitivity for continuants will assert that if c part_of c1 at t and c1 part_of c2 at t, then also c part_of c2 at t. Parthood as a relation between classes: To define part_of as a relation between classes we again need to distinguish the two cases of continuants and processes, even though the explicit reference to instants of time now falls away. For continuants, we have C part_of C1 if and only if any instance of C at any time is an instance-level part of some instance of C1 at that time, as for example in: cell nucleus part_ of cell.
is part of
part_of
has part
has_part
realized in
Intended meaning: domain: realizable entity range: processual entity time: atemporal
is realized by
realized_in
realizes
Intended meaning: domain: processual entity range: realizable entity time: atemporal
occurs in
Intended meaning: domain: occurrent range: independent continuant time: atemporal
occurs_in
unfolds in
unfolds_in
contains process
site of
inheres in
Intended meaning: domain: specifically dependent continuant range: independent continuant time: at all times A specifically dependent continuant A inheres in its independent continuant B at all times during which A exists.
inheres_in
bearer of
Intended meaning: domain: independent continuant range: specifically dependent continuant time: at some time
bearer_of
is bearer of
participates in
Intended meaning: domain: continuant and (not spatial region) range: processual entity time: at some time
participates_in
has participant
has_participant
Has_participant is a primitive instance-level relation between a process, a continuant, and a time at which the continuant participates in some way in the process. The relation obtains, for example, when this particular process of oxygen exchange across this particular alveolar membrane has_participant this particular sample of hemoglobin at this particular time.
Intended meaning: domain: processual entity range: continuant and (not spatial region) time: at some time
role of
is role of
role_of
has role
has_role
derives from
See also BFO_0001009
derives into
location of
is location of
location_of
contained in
Containment is location not involving parthood, and arises only where some immaterial continuant is involved.
Containment obtains in each case between material and immaterial continuants, for instance: lung contained_in thoracic cavity; bladder contained_in pelvic cavity. Hence containment is not a transitive relation. If c part_of c1 at t then we have also, by our definition and by the axioms of mereology applied to spatial regions, c located_in c1 at t. Thus, many examples of instance-level location relations for continuants are in fact cases of instance-level parthood. For material continuants location and parthood coincide. Containment is location not involving parthood, and arises only where some immaterial continuant is involved. To understand this relation, we first define overlap for continuants as follows: c1 overlap c2 at t =def for some c, c part_of c1 at t and c part_of c2 at t. The containment relation on the instance level can then be defined (see definition):
Intended meaning: domain: material entity range: spatial region or site (immaterial continuant)
contained_in
contains
Intended meaning: domain: spatial region or site (immaterial continuant) range: material entity
located in
Location as a relation between instances: The primitive instance-level relation c located_in r at t reflects the fact that each continuant is at any given time associated with exactly one spatial region, namely its exact location. Following we can use this relation to define a further instance-level location relation - not between a continuant and the region which it exactly occupies, but rather between one continuant and another. c is located in c1, in this sense, whenever the spatial region occupied by c is part_of the spatial region occupied by c1. Note that this relation comprehends both the relation of exact location between one continuant and another which obtains when r and r1 are identical (for example, when a portion of fluid exactly fills a cavity), as well as those sorts of inexact location relations which obtain, for example, between brain and head or between ovum and uterus
located_in
boundary of
The relationships between a boundary (a 2D immaterial entity) and the material entity that it delimits.
has boundary
The relationship between a material entity and the boundary (2D immaterial entity) that delimits it.
member of
An organism that is a member of a population of organisms
is member of is a mereological relation between a item and a collection.
has member
has member is a mereological relation between a collection and an item.