denomnre

Denomnre is a neologism used in philosophy of language and linguistics to describe a class of referring expressions that designate entities whose existence is not established in the real world. It is commonly applied to discourse involving fictional, hypothetical, or counterfactual referents, helping to separate non-existent or non-empirical entities from concrete ones.

Etymology and scope. The term combines elements of denote and non-referential intuition, signaling non-empirical anchoring. It appears in interdisciplinary discussions and teaching materials, with no single author or tradition claiming ownership.

Characteristics and usage. Denomnres may appear in narratives, dialogue, or analytic argumentation. They typically carry properties or relations for entities lacking real counterparts and are often accompanied by modal qualifiers or within fictional settings. In semantics, debates focus on their truth-conditions and how discourse licenses referring to them.

Examples and implications. In science fiction, a sentence like "the denomnre plasma shield" treats a fictional entity as a denomnre within the narrative. In philosophy, such referents illuminate questions about reference, imagination, and the limits of truth-conditions for statements about fiction or hypotheticals.

See also and status. Denomnre is informal and not universally standardized. It serves as a conceptual tool for examining non-existent or fictional referents in language and thought.