Physicallysuch

Physicallysuch is a neologism that has appeared in informal discussions at the intersection of linguistics, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science. The word combines physically, indicating the material domain, with such, a demonstrative used to mark a predicate as describing a manner or kind. It is not an established technical term in mainstream scholarship and is mostly found in online glossaries, blogs, and speculative thought experiments.

In its typical usage, physicallysuch designates properties or descriptions that are intended to map directly onto physical states or processes, rather than to socially constructed or abstract attributes. When a description is labeled as physicallysuch, the assertion is that its core character can be verified by measurement or observation rather than by interpretive consensus. This emphasis on empirical grounding helps distinguish physical realization from more metaphorical or evaluative statements.

Examples often involve measurable properties such as length, mass, temperature, or frequency, which have stable physical realizations. In contrast, evaluative properties like usefulness, beauty, or merit are generally not described as physicallysuch.

Because the term is informal, there is no fixed criterion for what counts as physicallysuch, and usage varies among authors. Some use it to foreground the empirical basis of a claim or to clarify the expected domain of verification; others criticize it as vague or unnecessary jargon.

See also: physical property, philosophy of language, ontology, reductionism.