enclosesrelated

Enclosesrelated is a coined term used in information science and formal semantics to describe a composite binary relation that combines structural containment with a domain-specific sense of relatedness. The term blends the ideas of enclosure (one entity surrounding or containing another) and relation (a defined connection between two entities) to capture a richer link between items in a data model, diagram, or ontology.

Formally, if a universe of discourse U includes two base relations: a containment relation C(x,y) meaning x encloses y, and a predefined relatedness relation R(x,y) meaningful in a given domain, then enclosesrelated is the relation ER defined by ER(x,y) holds exactly when C(x,y) and R(x,y) both hold. In other words, x ER y means that x encloses y and x is related to y by the specified domain relation. This construction treats ER as a conjunction of two simpler primitives, and its interpretation depends on the concrete meanings assigned to C and R within the application.

Usage and examples are varied across fields. In information architecture, a folder F may enclose a document D, and F may be related to D by a domain-specific relation such as “curates” or “contains_for_archive,” making ER(F,D) true. In ontologies, a class A might enclose a subclass B, with a taxonomic or topical relation R that also holds between A and B, yielding ER(A,B). The concept is primarily descriptive, used to annotate or query structures that require both spatial or hierarchical containment and semantic association.

Because ER combines two distinct primitives, its properties—such as symmetry or transitivity—depend on the chosen definitions of C and R and are not guaranteed to hold in general. See also containment, semantic relation, and composite relations.