An Inventory of Entity Properties

The domain of a property is an Entity, but the range is a value, not another Entity. The value can be a cardinal (e.g., weight:15), an ordinal (e.g., rank:first), a scalar (e.g., temperature:pretty_darn_hot) or a categorical (e.g., color:puce).

Without much further ado, here are the properties. The main sources of inspiration are the short lists from WordNet and Roget (see below), Dixon's work on adjectives and Frawley's discussion of properties. In parentheses I've put the Dixon/Frawley property that I think most closely applies.

age (Age) animacy (Human Propensity) behavior (Human Propensity:behavior) brittleness (Physical Property:consistency) capability (Human Propensity:physical state?) color (Color) confidence (?) configuration (Physical Property:configuration) consistency (Physical Property:consistency) density (Physical Property:substantiality) depth (Dimension) height (Dimension) length (Dimension) mass (Physical Property:substantiality) mental state (Human Propensity:mental state) orientation (Position) physical state (Human Propensity:physical state) quality (Value) quantity (Quantity)

rank (?) rate (Speed) sentience (Human Propensity) sex (?) shape (Physical Property) significance (?) size (Dimension) smell (Physical Property:sense) stability (Physical Property:configuration) strength (Physical Property:substantiality and Human Propensity:physical state) taste (Physical Property:sense) temperature (Physical Property:temperature) texture (Physical Property:texture) thickness (Dimension and Physical Property:substantiality) typicality (?) value (Quantity) wetness (?) width (Dimension)

Properties vs. Relations

When the list of NMRs was built, I had no way (or desire) to classify the open class of adjectives as ascriptive or nonascriptive (and many adjectives have both ascriptive and nonascriptive uses). So ascriptive adjectives would usually be assigned the garbage can NMR: Property. But here are two experiments to try to come up with an inventory of more specific Property classes. The first experiment uses the trusty old WordNet. The second uses the trusty old Roget's Thesaurus (1911).

WordNet Inspires an Inventory of Properties

West West, occident ability ability, power absorbency abstemiousness abstractness accuracy, truth acquisitiveness action, activity, activeness activeness, activity actuality adequacy, adequateness admissibility affectedness airworthiness alarm, dismay, consternation ambition, ambitiousness animateness, aliveness, liveness animation, life, living, aliveness animation, vitality appetizingness appropriateness assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, sureness astringency, stypsis attention attentiveness, heed, regard, paying attention attractiveness attribution, ascription audibility, audibleness auspiciousness, propitiousness awareness, consciousness, cognizance, knowingness beauty beneficence benevolence benignity, benignancy, graciousness body weight breakableness capability, capableness capability, capableness, potentiality certainty

changeableness, changeability cheerfulness, cheer civility clarity, lucidity, pellucidity, clearness, limpidity cleanness clock time, time color, colour, coloring, colouring comfort, comfortableness commonness, commonplaceness, everydayness completeness confidence connection, connexion, connectedness consistency, consistence, body conspicuousness constancy, stability convenience conventionality, convention, conventionalism convertibility correctness, rightness corruptness, corruption creativity, creativeness credibility, credibleness, believability cubicity degree, grade, level dehiscence destructibility direction directness, straightness dispensability, dispensableness disposition, temperament diverseness, diversity, multifariousness, variety dormancy, quiescence, quiescency effectiveness, effectivity, effectualness, effectuality efficacy, efficaciousness emotionality, emotionalism essentiality, essentialness evil, evilness explicitness extinction fairness, equity fear, fearfulness, fright

felicity, felicitousness fertility, fecundity finality, conclusiveness, decisiveness formality, formalness handiness, accessibility, availability, availableness hue, chromaticity humaneness inaction, inactivity, inactiveness independence, independency individuality, individualism integrity, unity, wholeness intelligence intentionality interest, interestingness introspectiveness introversion intrusiveness, meddlesomeness, officiousness inwardness kindness likeness, alikeness, similitude magnetism, magnetic attraction, magnetic force mandate, authorization materiality, physicalness, corporeality mind, intellect mindfulness, heedfulness morality nastiness normality, normalcy numeracy offensiveness, odiousness, distastefulness olfactory property, smell, aroma, odor, odour, scent orientation passivity, passiveness permanence, permanency position, posture, attitude position, spatial relation power, powerfulness, potency presence quality quality, caliber, calibre quantity

reassurance recognition, acknowledgment, acknowledgement regularity responsibility, responsibleness rightness seniority, senior status, higher status, higher rank sensitivity sensitivity, sensitiveness sentience sex, gender, sexuality significance sincerity size stature, height status, position strength substantiality, substantialness sufficiency, adequacy susceptibility, susceptibleness tameness, domestication taste property taste, appreciation, discernment, perceptiveness temperature temporal relation thickness thoughtfulness timidity, timorousness tractability, tractableness, flexibility truth, verity typicality ultimacy, ultimateness usualness utility, usefulness utopia value virtue, chastity, sexual morality wariness, chariness wetness width, breadth wildness worthiness

Taking the ~160 WN attributes as inspiration, I came up with the following list of Properties. For the most part, I simply deleted overly specific attributes, merged similar attributes and cleaned up the names. I also added a Property here and there where there were obvious holes. It should be possible to whittle this list down further (for example, by combining height, width and size).

animacy attitude breakableness capability color completeness

confidence degree direction height integrity likeness

orientation permanence quality quantity rank rate

sentience sex significance size smell status

strength sufficiency taste temperature texture thickness

time typicality value weight wetness width

There are about 20,000 adjectives in WN1.6. Of these only about 1,000 are pertainyms. About 3,000 are polygraphic (phrasal). It should be possible to check if the remaining 16,000 are indeed ascriptive and if they cluster into the WN-inspired Properties.

Roget Inspires an Inventory of Properties

So here is the list of ~230 Roget headwords whose first verb entry is of the form <copula>-<adjective>, except those expressing relations. The list shows the adjective followed by the headword.

uniform #16: Uniformity great #31: Greatness small #32: Smallness complete #52: Completeness incomplete #53: Incompleteness disorderly #59: Disorder discontinuous #70: Discontinuity general #78: Generality uncomformable #83: Unconformity numerous #102: Multitude few #103: Fewness infinite #105: Infinity transient #111: Transientness instantaneous #113: Instantaneity old #124: Oldness aged #128: Age early #132: Earliness late #133: Lateness ill timed #135: Untimeliness  rare #137: Infrequency firm #150: Stability powerful #157: Power impotent #158: Impotence strong #159: Strength weak #160: Weakness inert #172: Physical Inertness violent #173: Violence moderate #174: Moderation liable #177: Liability absent #187: Absence large #192: Size little #193: Littleness small #195: Contraction long #200: Length short #201: Shortness broad #202: BreadthThickness narrow #203: NarrownessThinness high #206: Height low #207: Lowness deep #208: Depth vertical #212: Verticality horizontal #213: Horizontality pendent #214: Pendency perpendicular #216a: Perpendicularity  inverted #218: Inversion straight #246: Straightness convoluted #248: Convolution prominent #250: Convexity concave #252: Concavity sharp #253: Sharpness blunt #254: Bluntness rough #256: Roughness quiescent #265: Quiescence agitated #315: Agitation heavy #319: Gravity light #320: Levity dense #321: Density brittle #328: Brittleness fluid #333: Fluidity watery #337: Water dry #340: Dryness alive #359: Life sensible of #375: Physical Sensibility insensible #376: Physical Insensibility hot #382: Heat tasteless #391: Insipidity pungent #392: Pungency savory #394: Savoriness unpalatable #395: Unsavoriness sweet #396: Sweetness sour #397: Sourness inodorous #399: Inodorousness fragrant #400: Fragrance silent #403: Silence loud #404: Loudness harmonious #413: MelodyConcord discordant #414: Discord

deaf #419: Deafness dark #421: Darkness dim #422: Dimness transparent #425: Transparency opaque #426: Opacity white #430: Whiteness black #431: Blackness red #434: Redness variegated #440: Variegation blind #442: Blindness dimsighted #443: Dimsightedness visible #446: Visibility invisible #447: Invisibility curious #455: Curiosity incurious #456: Incuriosity attentive #457: Attention inattentive #458: Inattention careful #459: Care  negligent #460: Neglect possible #470: Possibility impossible #471: Impossibility probable #472: Probability improbable #473: Improbability certain #474: Certainty uncertain #475: Uncertainty credulous #486: Credulity incredulous #487: Incredulity ignorant #491: Ignorance TRUE #494: Truth erroneous #495: Error intelligent #498: IntelligenceWisdom sane #502: Sanity insane #503: Insanity disappointed #509: Disappointment intelligible #518: Intelligibility unintelligible #519: Unintelligibility equivocal #520: Equivocalness latent #526: LatencyImplication FALSE #544: Falsehood concise #572: Conciseness diffuse #573: Diffuseness inelegant #579: Inelegance loquacious #584: Loquacity silent #585: Taciturnity willing #602: Willingness unwilling #603: Unwillingness irresolute #605: Irresolution obstinate #606: Obstinacy capricious #608: Caprice neutral #609a: Absence of Choice unaccustomed #614: Desuetude sufficient #639: Sufficiency insufficient #640: Insufficiency important #642: Importance unimportant #643: Unimportance useful #644: Utility useless #645: Inutility expedient #646: Expedience inexpedient #647: Inexpedience perfect #650: Perfection imperfect #651: Imperfection clean #652: Cleanness unclean #653: Uncleanness healthy #654: Health ill #655: Disease salubrious #656: Salubrity safe #664: Safety unprepared #674: Nonpreparation active #682: Activity inactive #683: Inactivity fatigued #688: Fatigue skillful #698: Skill unskillful #699: Unskillfulness cunning #702: Cunning artless #703: Artlessness

difficult #704: Difficulty easy #705: Facility discordant #713: Discord lax #738: Laxity severe #739: Severity lenient #740: Lenity obedient #743: Obedience free #748: Freedom rich #803: Wealth poor #804: Poverty dear #814: Dearness cheap #815: Cheapness liberal #816: Liberality economical #817: Economy prodigal #818: Prodigality parsimonious #819: Parsimony sensible #822: Sensibility insensible #823: Insensibility impatient #825: Excitability  composed #826: Inexcitability pleased #827: Pleasure content #831: Content discontented #832: Discontent cheerful #836: Cheerfulness dejected #837: Dejection dull #843: Dullness beautiful #845: Beauty ugly #846: Ugliness vulgar #851: Vulgarity fashionable #852: Fashion ridiculous #853: Ridiculousness courageous #861: Courage rash #863: Rashness cautious #864: Caution indifferent #866: Indifference fastidious #868: Fastidiousness conscious of glory #873: Repute inglorious #874: Disrepute noble #875: Nobility ignoble #876: Commonalty proud #878: Pride humble #879: Humility vain #880: Vanity modest #881: Modesty ostentatious #882: Ostentation insolent #885: Insolence friendly #888: Friendship inimical #889: Enmity sociable #892: Sociality secluded #893: SeclusionExclusion courteous #894: Courtesy rude #895: Discourtesy irascible #901: Irascibility sullen #901a: Sullenness benevolent #906: Benevolence malevolent #907: Malevolence grateful #916: Gratitude ungrateful #917: Ingratitude jealous #920: Jealousy right #922: Right wrong #923: Wrong due #924: Dueness undue #925: Undueness honorable #939: Probity dishonest #940: Improbity disinterested #942: Disinterestedness selfish #943: Selfishness virtuous #944: Virtue vicious #945: Vice innocent #946: Innocence impenitent #951: Impenitence temperate #953: Temperance intemperate #954: Intemperance impure #961: Impurity pious #987: Piety impious #988: Impiety irreligious #989: Irreligion

One obvious difference between this list and the WN list of attributes is the abundance of what Dixon would call "Human Propensity" attributes in the Roget list. For our purposes, there is little need for a rich set of human attributes, so I have quite freely lumped them. Column headers correspond to Roget classes, but other than Space and Matter, they're pretty meaningless here.

Relations consistency quantity rank stability strength

Space size length width thickness height depth orientation form texture rate

Matter weight density brittleness state (of matter) wetness animacy temperature taste smell appearance color

Intellect sentience certainty confidence awareness

Volition attitude capability sufficiency utility integrity difficulty accord value worth

Affections affection sensitivity emotion personality typicality quality