ontos

Ontos is a Greek term that means being or that which exists. In philosophy, the word is closely associated with ontology, the branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of existence and the kinds of beings that inhabit reality. The English noun ontology derives from the Greek roots that mean the study of being.

Etymology and usage. The form ontos originates from Greek ὄντος, the genitive of ὄν, meaning being. In explaining the origins of ontology, scholars often trace the name to this root idea of what exists, combined with logos, meaning study or discourse. While ontos itself is primarily encountered in scholarly discussion of ancient sources, it underpins the modern terminology used to discuss existence.

Philosophical role. Ontology asks which entities exist, how they can be categorized, and what it means for something to be. Throughout ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy, questions about substances, properties, relations, universals, and abstract objects fall under ontological inquiry. Contemporary debates may cover topics such as the ontological status of numbers, possible worlds, or social constructs, and distinguish ontic questions about concrete beings from ontological questions about the nature of being itself. The terms ontic and ontological are commonly used to describe statements about actual beings versus the study of being as such.

See also. ontology, ontic, ontological.