correlatas

Correlatas is a term used primarily in philosophy and logic to designate the entities that stand in a relation or participate in a correlation. The correlates are the endpoints or terms connected by the relation; they are contrasted with the relation itself, which is the link that binds them. In this usage, correlata is the plural form of the Latin correlatum, with correlates sometimes used interchangeably with relata in ordinary language.

In analytic philosophy, correlata are the things or terms that are related, such as the objects or concepts that a relation holds between. For example, in the relation “is taller than,” the correlata are the two individuals being compared. In a statistical context, the correlata of a correlation between variables X and Y are the variable values themselves (X and Y) that participate in the observed association. Some authors distinguish correlata as focusing on the connected terms, while others treat correlata and relata as largely synonymous.

Etymology and scope: correlata derives from Latin correlatus, meaning connected, with the plural correlata. The term is more common in discussions of relations and predicates than in everyday language, and it is often used to clarify what is being related rather than the nature of the relation itself.

See also: Relatum; Relation; Correlate; Correlation; Analytic philosophy.