Ex negativo
The phrase ex negativo (from the Latin ex = out, out and negatum = the negative ) is usually used to denote a certain type of definition . A definition ex negativo indicates what a term is not or what it excludes.
- Example: Health can be defined ex negativo as a state in which no disease occurs.
In addition, ex negativo is also used to describe the relationship between people or facts:
- Example: Richard Wagner's music was a strong ex negativo influence on the compositional style of Claude Debussy .
What is meant by this is that Debussy tried to differentiate himself from Wagner's in his music.
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Wiktionary: ex negativo - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
