BFO 2020
type: Ontology
version IRI: bfo-core.ttl
contributor: Alan Ruttenberg
contributor: Albert Goldfain
contributor: Barry Smith
contributor: Bill Duncan
contributor: Bjoern Peters
contributor: Chris Mungall
contributor: David Osumi-Sutherland
contributor: Fabian Neuhaus
contributor: James A. Overton
contributor: Janna Hastings
contributor: Jie Zheng
contributor: John Beverley
contributor: Jonathan Bona
contributor: Larry Hunter
contributor: Leonard Jacuzzo
contributor: Ludger Jansen
contributor: Mark Jensen
contributor: Mark Ressler
contributor: Mathias Brochhausen
contributor: Mauricio Almeida
contributor: Melanie Courtot
contributor: Neil Otte
contributor: Pierre Grenon
contributor: Randall Dipert
contributor: Robert Rovetto
contributor: Ron Rudnicki
contributor: Stefan Schulz
contributor: Thomas Bittner
contributor: Werner Ceusters
contributor: Yongqun "Oliver" He
description: Basic Formal Ontology implemented in the Web Ontology Language (OWL 2) with direct semantics.
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
comment: The most recent version of this file will always be in the GitHub repository https://github.com/bfo-ontology/bfo-2020

has realization
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: realizes
domain: realizable entity
range: process
alternative label: realized in
definition: b has realization c =Def c realizes b
example: As for realizes

realizes
type: ObjectProperty
domain: process
range: realizable entity
definition: (Elucidation) realizes is a relation between a process b and realizable entity c such that c inheres in some d & for all t, if b has participant d then c exists & the type instantiated by b is correlated with the type instantiated by c
example: A balding process realizes a disposition to go bald; a studying process realizes a student role; a process of pumping blood realizes the pumping function of a heart

participates in
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has participant
domain: Class
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
  union of: generically dependent continuant
  union of: Class
    intersection of: independent continuant
    intersection of: Class
      complement of: spatial region
range: process
definition: (Elucidation) participates in holds between some b that is either a specifically dependent continuant or generically dependent continuant or independent continuant that is not a spatial region & some process p such that b participates in p some way
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

has participant
type: ObjectProperty
domain: process
range: Class
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
  union of: generically dependent continuant
  union of: Class
    intersection of: independent continuant
    intersection of: Class
      complement of: spatial region
definition: p has participant c =Def c participates in p
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

is concretized by
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: concretizes
domain: generically dependent continuant
range: Class
  union of: process
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
definition: c is concretized by b =Def b concretizes c
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

concretizes
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: process
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
range: generically dependent continuant
definition: b concretizes c =Def b is a process or a specifically dependent continuant & c is a generically dependent continuant & there is some time t such that c is the pattern or content which b shares at t with actual or potential copies
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

preceded by
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: precedes
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: b preceded by c =Def b precedes c
example: The temporal region occupied by the second half of the match is preceded by the temporal region occupied by the first half of the match

precedes
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: (Elucidation) precedes is a relation between occurrents o, o' such that if t is the temporal extent of o & t' is the temporal extent of o' then either the last instant of o is before the first instant of o' or the last instant of o is the first instant of o' & neither o nor o' are temporal instants
example: The temporal region occupied by Mary's birth precedes the temporal region occupied by Mary's death.
scope note: Each temporal region is its own temporal extent. The temporal extent of a spatiotemporal region is the temporal region it temporally projects onto. The temporal extent of a process or process boundary that occupies temporal region t is t.
scope note: Precedes defines a strict partial order on occurrents.

occurs in
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: environs
domain: Class
  union of: process
  union of: process boundary
range: Class
  union of: site
  union of: material entity
definition: b occurs in c =Def b is a process or a process boundary & c is a material entity or site & there exists a spatiotemporal region r & b occupies spatiotemporal region r & for all time t, if b exists at t then c exists at t & there exist spatial regions s and s' where b spatially projects onto s at t & c occupies spatial region s' at t & s is a continuant part of s' at t
example: A process of digestion occurs in the interior of an organism; a process of loading artillery rounds into a tank cannon occurs in the interior of the tank

generically depends on
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: is carrier of
domain: generically dependent continuant
range: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
alternative label: g-depends on
definition: b generically depends on c =Def b is a generically dependent continuant & c is an independent continuant that is not a spatial region & at some time t there inheres in c a specifically dependent continuant which concretizes b at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

is carrier of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
range: generically dependent continuant
definition: b is carrier of c =Def there is some time t such that c generically depends on b at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

exists at
type: ObjectProperty
domain: entity
range: temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) exists at is a relation between a particular and some temporal region at which the particular exists
example: First World War exists at 1914-1916; Mexico exists at January 1, 2000

has member part
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has continuant part
inverse of: member part of
domain: material entity
range: material entity
definition: b has member part c =Def c member part of b
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

has occurrent part
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: occurrent part of
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: b has occurrent part c =Def c occurrent part of b
example: Mary's life has occurrent part Mary's 5th birthday

has temporal part
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has occurrent part
inverse of: temporal part of
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: b has temporal part c =Def c temporal part of b
example: Your life has temporal part the first year of your life

location of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: located in
domain: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
range: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
definition: b location of c =Def c located in b
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

material basis of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has material basis
domain: material entity
range: disposition
definition: b material basis of c =Def c has material basis b
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

member part of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: continuant part of
domain: material entity
range: material entity
definition: b member part of c =Def b is an object & c is a material entity & there is some time t such that b continuant part of c at t & there is a mutually exhaustive and pairwise disjoint partition of c into objects x1, ..., xn (for some n ≠ 1) with b = xi (for some 1 <= i <= n)
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

occurrent part of
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: (Elucidation) occurrent part of is a relation between occurrents b and c when b is part of c
example: Mary's 5th birthday is an occurrent part of Mary's life; the first set of the tennis match is an occurrent part of the tennis match

temporal part of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: occurrent part of
type: TransitiveProperty
domain: occurrent
range: occurrent
definition: b temporal part of c =Def b occurrent part of c & (b and c are temporal regions) or (b and c are spatiotemporal regions & b temporally projects onto an occurrent part of the temporal region that c temporally projects onto) or (b and c are processes or process boundaries & b occupies a temporal region that is an occurrent part of the temporal region that c occupies)
example: Your heart beating from 4pm to 5pm today is a temporal part of the process of your heart beating; the 4th year of your life is a temporal part of your life, as is the process boundary which separates the 3rd and 4th years of your life; the first quarter of a game of football is a temporal part of the whole game

temporally projects onto
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: spatiotemporal region
range: temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) temporally projects onto is a relation between a spatiotemporal region s and some temporal region which is the temporal extent of s
example: The world line of a particle temporally projects onto the temporal region extending from the beginning to the end of the existence of the particle

located in
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
range: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
definition: b located in c =Def b is an independent continuant & c is an independent & neither is a spatial region & there is some time t such that the spatial region which b occupies at t is continuant part of the spatial region which c occupies at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

continuant part of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has continuant part
domain: continuant
range: continuant
definition: b continuant part of c =Def b and c are continuants & there is some time t such that b and c exist at t & b part of c at t
example: Milk teeth continuant part of human; surgically removed tumour continuant part of organism
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

has continuant part
type: ObjectProperty
domain: continuant
range: continuant
definition: b has continuant part c =Def c continuant part of b
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

environs
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: site
  union of: material entity
range: Class
  union of: process
  union of: process boundary
alternative label: contains process
definition: b environs c =Def c occurs in b
example: Mouth environs process of mastication; city environs traffic

history of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has history
type: FunctionalProperty
type: InverseFunctionalProperty
domain: history
range: material entity
definition: (Elucidation) history of is a relation between history b and material entity c such that b is the unique history of c
example: This life is the history of this organism

has history
type: ObjectProperty
domain: material entity
range: history
definition: b has history c =Def c history of b
example: This organism has history this life

specifically depended on by
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: specifically depends on
domain: Class
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
  union of: Class
    intersection of: independent continuant
    intersection of: Class
      complement of: spatial region
range: specifically dependent continuant
alternative label: s-depended on by
definition: b specifically depended on by c =Def c specifically depends on b
example: Coloured object specifically depended on by colour

specifically depends on
type: ObjectProperty
domain: specifically dependent continuant
range: Class
  union of: specifically dependent continuant
  union of: Class
    intersection of: independent continuant
    intersection of: Class
      complement of: spatial region
alternative label: s-depends on
definition: (Elucidation) specifically depends on is a relation between a specifically dependent continuant b and specifically dependent continuant or independent continuant that is not a spatial region c such that b and c share no parts in common & b is of a nature such that at all times t it cannot exist unless c exists & b is not a boundary of c
example: A shape specifically depends on the shaped object; hue, saturation and brightness of a colour sample specifically depends on each other
scope note: The analogue of specifically depends on for occurrents is has participant.

bearer of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: specifically depended on by
inverse of: inheres in
domain: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
range: specifically dependent continuant
definition: b bearer of c =Def c inheres in b
example: A patch of ink is the bearer of a colour quality; an organism is the bearer of a temperature quality

inheres in
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: specifically depends on
domain: specifically dependent continuant
range: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
definition: b inheres in c =Def b is a specifically dependent continuant & c is an independent continuant that is not a spatial region & b specifically depends on c
example: A shape inheres in a shaped object; a mass inheres in a material entity

occupies temporal region
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Class
  union of: process
  union of: process boundary
range: temporal region
definition: p occupies temporal region t =Def p is a process or process boundary & the spatiotemporal region occupied by p temporally projects onto t
example: The Second World War occupies the temporal region September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945

occupies spatiotemporal region
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Class
  union of: process
  union of: process boundary
range: spatiotemporal region
definition: (Elucidation) occupies spatiotemporal region is a relation between a process or process boundary p and the spatiotemporal region s which is its spatiotemporal extent
example: A particle emitted by a nuclear reactor occupies the spatiotemporal region which is its trajectory

occupies spatial region
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  intersection of: independent continuant
  intersection of: Class
    complement of: spatial region
range: spatial region
definition: b occupies spatial region r =Def b is an independent continuant that is not a spatial region & r is a spatial region & there is some time t such that every continuant part of b occupies some continuant part of r at t and no continuant part of b occupies any spatial region that is not a continuant part of r at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

spatially projects onto
type: ObjectProperty
domain: spatiotemporal region
range: spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) spatially projects onto is a relation between some spatiotemporal region b and spatial region c such that at some time t, c is the spatial extent of b at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

has material basis
type: ObjectProperty
domain: disposition
range: material entity
definition: b has material basis c =Def b is a disposition & c is a material entity & there is some d bearer of b & there is some time t such that c is a continuant part of d at t & d has disposition b because c is a continuant part of d at t
scope note: Users that require more sophisticated representations of time are encouraged to import a temporal extension of BFO-Core provided by the BFO development team. See documentation for guidance: <https://github.com/BFO-ontology/BFO-2020/tree/master/src/owl/profiles/temporal%20extensions>

first instant of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has first instant
domain: temporal instant
range: temporal region
definition: t first instant of t' =Def t is a temporal instant & t' is a temporal region t' & t precedes all temporal parts of t' other than t
example: An hour starting at midnight yesterday has first instant midnight yesterday

has first instant
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: temporal region
range: temporal instant
definition: t has first instant t' =Def t' first instant of t
example: The first hour of a year has first instant midnight on December 31

last instant of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: has last instant
domain: temporal instant
range: temporal region
definition: t last instant of t' =Def t is a temporal instant & t' is a temporal region & all temporal parts of t' other than t precede t
example: Last midnight is the last instant of yesterday

has last instant
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: temporal region
range: temporal instant
definition: t has last instant t' =Def t' last instant of t
example: The last hour of a year has last instant midnight December 31

entity
type: Class
definition: (Elucidation) An entity is anything that exists or has existed or will exist
example: Julius Caesar; the Second World War; your body mass index; Verdi's Requiem

continuant
type: Class
subclass of: entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: continuant part of
  all values from: continuant
disjoint with: occurrent
definition: (Elucidation) A continuant is an entity that persists, endures, or continues to exist through time while maintaining its identity
example: A human being; a tennis ball; a cave; a region of space; someone's temperature

occurrent
type: Class
subclass of: entity
definition: (Elucidation) An occurrent is an entity that unfolds itself in time or it is the start or end of such an entity or it is a temporal or spatiotemporal region
example: As for process, history, process boundary, spatiotemporal region, zero-dimensional temporal region, one-dimensional temporal region, temporal interval, temporal instant.

independent continuant
type: Class
subclass of: continuant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: continuant part of
  all values from: independent continuant
definition: b is an independent continuant =Def b is a continuant & there is no c such that b specifically depends on c or b generically depends on c
example: An atom; a molecule; an organism; a heart; a chair; the bottom right portion of a human torso; a leg; the interior of your mouth; a spatial region; an orchestra

spatial region
type: Class
subclass of: immaterial entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: continuant part of
  all values from: spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A spatial region is a continuant entity that is a continuant part of the spatial projection of a portion of spacetime at a given time
example: As for zero-dimensional spatial region, one-dimensional spatial region, two-dimensional spatial region, three-dimensional spatial region

temporal region
type: Class
subclass of: occurrent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: occurrent part of
  all values from: temporal region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporal part of
  all values from: temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A temporal region is an occurrent over which processes can unfold
example: As for zero-dimensional temporal region and one-dimensional temporal region

two-dimensional spatial region
type: Class
subclass of: spatial region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: Class
    union of: two-dimensional spatial region
    union of: zero-dimensional spatial region
    union of: one-dimensional spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A two-dimensional spatial region is a spatial region that is a whole consisting of a surface together with zero or more surfaces which may have spatial regions of lower dimension as parts
example: The surface of a sphere-shaped part of space; an infinitely thin plane in space

spatiotemporal region
type: Class
subclass of: occurrent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: occurrent part of
  all values from: spatiotemporal region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporal part of
  all values from: spatiotemporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A spatiotemporal region is an occurrent that is an occurrent part of spacetime
example: The spatiotemporal region occupied by the development of a cancer tumour; the spatiotemporal region occupied by an orbiting satellite
scope note: 'Spacetime' here refers to the maximal instance of the universal spatiotemporal region.

process
type: Class
subclass of: occurrent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has occurrent part
  all values from: Class
    union of: process
    union of: process boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: occurrent part of
  all values from: process
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporal part of
  all values from: process
alternative label: event
definition: (Elucidation) p is a process means p is an occurrent that has some temporal proper part and for some time t, p has some material entity as participant
example: An act of selling; the life of an organism; a process of sleeping; a process of cell-division; a beating of the heart; a process of meiosis; the taxiing of an aircraft; the programming of a computer

disposition
type: Class
subclass of: realizable entity
disjoint with: role
alternative label: internally-grounded realizable entity
definition: (Elucidation) A disposition b is a realizable entity such that if b ceases to exist then its bearer is physically changed & b's realization occurs when and because this bearer is in some special physical circumstances & this realization occurs in virtue of the bearer's physical make-up
example: An atom of element X has the disposition to decay to an atom of element Y; the cell wall is disposed to transport cellular material through endocytosis and exocytosis; certain people have a predisposition to colon cancer; children are innately disposed to categorize objects in certain ways

realizable entity
type: Class
subclass of: specifically dependent continuant
disjoint with: quality
definition: (Elucidation) A realizable entity is a specifically dependent continuant that inheres in some independent continuant which is not a spatial region & which is of a type some instances of which are realized in processes of a correlated type
example: The role of being a doctor; the role of this boundary to delineate where Utah and Colorado meet; the function of your reproductive organs; the disposition of your blood to coagulate; the disposition of this piece of metal to conduct electricity

zero-dimensional spatial region
type: Class
subclass of: spatial region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: zero-dimensional spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A zero-dimensional spatial region is one or a collection of more than one spatially disjoint points in space
example: The spatial region occupied at some time instant by the North Pole

quality
type: Class
subclass of: specifically dependent continuant
definition: (Elucidation) A quality is a specifically dependent continuant that, in contrast to roles and dispositions, does not require any further process in order to be realized
example: The colour of a tomato; the ambient temperature of this portion of air; the length of the circumference of your waist; the shape of your nose; the shape of your nostril; the mass of this piece of gold

specifically dependent continuant
type: Class
subclass of: continuant
definition: b is a specifically dependent continuant =Def b is a continuant & there is some independent continuant c which is not a spatial region & which is such that b specifically depends on c
example: (with multiple bearers) John's love for Mary; the ownership relation between John and this statue; the relation of authority between John and his subordinates
example: (with one bearer) The mass of this tomato; the pink colour of a medium rare piece of grilled filet mignon at its centre; the smell of this portion of mozzarella; the disposition of this fish to decay; the role of being a doctor; the function of this heart to pump blood; the shape of this hole

role
type: Class
subclass of: realizable entity
alternative label: externally-grounded realizable entity
definition: (Elucidation) A role b is a realizable entity such that b exists because there is some single bearer that is in some special physical, social, or institutional set of circumstances in which this bearer does not have to be & b is not such that, if it ceases to exist, then the physical make-up of the bearer is thereby changed
example: The priest role; the student role; the role of subject in a clinical trial; the role of a stone in marking a property boundary; the role of a boundary to demarcate two neighbouring administrative territories; the role of a building in serving as a military target

fiat object part
type: Class
subclass of: material entity
definition: (Elucidation) A fiat object part b is a material entity & such that if b exists then it is continuant part of some object c & demarcated from the remainder of c by one or more fiat surfaces
example: The upper and lower lobes of the left lung; the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body; the Western hemisphere of the Earth; the FMA:regional parts of an intact human body

one-dimensional spatial region
type: Class
subclass of: spatial region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: Class
    union of: zero-dimensional spatial region
    union of: one-dimensional spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A one-dimensional spatial region is a whole consisting of a line together with zero or more lines which may have points as parts
example: An edge of a cube-shaped portion of space; a line connecting two points; two parallel lines extended in space

object aggregate
type: Class
subclass of: material entity
definition: (Elucidation) An object aggregate is a material entity consisting exactly of a plurality (≥1) of objects as member parts which together form a unit
example: The aggregate of the musicians in a symphony orchestra and their instruments; the aggregate of bearings in a constant velocity axle joint; the nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere; a collection of cells in a blood biobank
scope note: 'Exactly' means that there are no parts of the object aggregate other than its member parts.
scope note: The unit can, at certain times, consist of exactly one object, for example, when a wolf litter loses all but one of its pups, but it must at some time have a plurality of member parts.

three-dimensional spatial region
type: Class
subclass of: spatial region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A three-dimensional spatial region is a whole consisting of a spatial volume together with zero or more spatial volumes which may have spatial regions of lower dimension as parts
example: A cube-shaped region of space; a sphere-shaped region of space; the region of space occupied by all and only the planets in the solar system at some point in time

site
type: Class
subclass of: immaterial entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: continuant part of
  all values from: Class
    union of: site
    union of: material entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: Class
    union of: site
    union of: continuant fiat boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: occupies spatial region
  all values from: three-dimensional spatial region
definition: (Elucidation) A site is a three-dimensional immaterial entity whose boundaries either (partially or wholly) coincide with the boundaries of one or more material entities or have locations determined in relation to some material entity
example: A hole in a portion of cheese; a rabbit hole; the Grand Canyon; the Piazza San Marco; the kangaroo-joey-containing hole of a kangaroo pouch; your left nostril (a fiat part - the opening - of your left nasal cavity); the lumen of your gut; the hold of a ship; the interior of the trunk of your car; hole in an engineered floor joist

object
type: Class
subclass of: material entity
definition: (Elucidation) An object is a material entity which manifests causal unity & is of a type instances of which are maximal relative to the sort of causal unity manifested
example: An organism; a fish tank; a planet; a laptop; a valve; a block of marble; an ice cube
scope note: A description of three primary sorts of causal unity is provided in Basic Formal Ontology 2.0. Specification and User Guide

generically dependent continuant
type: Class
subclass of: continuant
alternative label: g-dependent continuant
definition: (Elucidation) A generically dependent continuant is an entity that exists in virtue of the fact that there is at least one of what may be multiple copies which is the content or the pattern that multiple copies would share
example: The pdf file on your laptop; the pdf file that is a copy thereof on my laptop; the sequence of this protein molecule; the sequence that is a copy thereof in that protein molecule; the content that is shared by a string of dots and dashes written on a page and the transmitted Morse code signal; the content of a sentence; an engineering blueprint

function
type: Class
subclass of: disposition
definition: (Elucidation) A function is a disposition that exists in virtue of its bearer's physical make-up & this physical make-up is something the bearer possesses because it came into being either through evolution (in the case of natural biological entities) or through intentional design (in the case of artefacts) in order to realize processes of a certain sort
example: The function of a hammer to drive in nails; the function of a heart pacemaker to regulate the beating of a heart through electricity

process boundary
type: Class
subclass of: occurrent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has occurrent part
  all values from: process boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has temporal part
  all values from: process boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: occurrent part of
  all values from: Class
    union of: process
    union of: process boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporal part of
  all values from: Class
    union of: process
    union of: process boundary
definition: p is a process boundary =Def p is a temporal part of a process & p has no proper temporal parts
example: The boundary between the 2nd and 3rd year of your life

one-dimensional temporal region
type: Class
subclass of: temporal region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has temporal part
  all values from: Class
    union of: one-dimensional temporal region
    union of: zero-dimensional temporal region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporal part of
  all values from: one-dimensional temporal region
disjoint with: zero-dimensional temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A one-dimensional temporal region is a temporal region that is a whole that has a temporal interval and zero or more temporal intervals and temporal instants as parts
example: The temporal region during which a process occurs

material entity
type: Class
subclass of: independent continuant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: continuant part of
  all values from: material entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: Class
    union of: site
    union of: material entity
    union of: continuant fiat boundary
disjoint with: immaterial entity
definition: (Elucidation) A material entity is an independent continuant that at all times at which it exists has some portion of matter as continuant part
example: A human being; the undetached arm of a human being; an aggregate of human beings

continuant fiat boundary
type: Class
subclass of: immaterial entity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: location of
  all values from: continuant fiat boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: continuant fiat boundary
definition: (Elucidation) A continuant fiat boundary b is an immaterial entity that is of zero, one or two dimensions & such that there is no time t when b has a spatial region as continuant part & whose location is determined in relation to some material entity
example: As for fiat point, fiat line, fiat surface

immaterial entity
type: Class
subclass of: independent continuant
definition: b is an immaterial entity =Def b is an independent continuant which is such that there is no time t when it has a material entity as continuant part
example: As for fiat point, fiat line, fiat surface, site

fiat line
type: Class
subclass of: continuant fiat boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: Class
    union of: fiat line
    union of: fiat point
definition: (Elucidation) A fiat line is a one-dimensional continuant fiat boundary that is continuous
example: The Equator; all geopolitical boundaries; all lines of latitude and longitude; the median sulcus of your tongue; the line separating the outer surface of the mucosa of the lower lip from the outer surface of the skin of the chin

relational quality
type: Class
subclass of: quality
definition: b is a relational quality =Def b is a quality & there exists c and d such that c and d are not identical & b specifically depends on c & b specifically depends on d
example: A marriage bond; an instance of love; an obligation between one person and another

fiat surface
type: Class
subclass of: continuant fiat boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: continuant fiat boundary
definition: (Elucidation) A fiat surface is a two-dimensional continuant fiat boundary that is self-connected
example: The surface of the Earth; the plane separating the smoking from the non-smoking zone in a restaurant

fiat point
type: Class
subclass of: continuant fiat boundary
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has continuant part
  all values from: fiat point
definition: (Elucidation) A fiat point is a zero-dimensional continuant fiat boundary that consists of a single point
example: The geographic North Pole; the quadripoint where the boundaries of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona meet; the point of origin of some spatial coordinate system

zero-dimensional temporal region
type: Class
subclass of: temporal region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has temporal part
  all values from: zero-dimensional temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A zero-dimensional temporal region is a temporal region that is a whole consisting of one or more separated temporal instants as parts
example: A temporal region that is occupied by a process boundary; the moment at which a finger is detached in an industrial accident

history
type: Class
subclass of: process
definition: (Elucidation) A history is a process that is the sum of the totality of processes taking place in the spatiotemporal region occupied by the material part of a material entity
example: The life of an organism from the beginning to the end of its existence

temporal interval
type: Class
subclass of: one-dimensional temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A temporal interval is a one-dimensional temporal region that is continuous, thus without gaps or breaks
example: The year 2018.
scope note: A one-dimensional temporal region can include as parts not only temporal intervals but also temporal instants separated from other parts by gaps.

temporal instant
type: Class
subclass of: zero-dimensional temporal region
definition: (Elucidation) A temporal instant is a zero-dimensional temporal region that has no proper temporal part
example: The millennium