word
rigid designator
RIJ-id DEZ-ig-nay-ter
ˈrɪdʒɪd ˈdɛzɪɡneɪtərListen
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Syllable breakdown
rigiddesignator
Dictionary meaning
a term coined by Saul Kripke in Naming and Necessity (1972) for an expression that refers to the same individual in every possible world in which that individual exists; proper names are paradigm rigid designators: 'Aristotle' picks out Aristotle regardless of which of his properties he might have lacked; contrasted with definite descriptions such as 'the teacher of Alexander,' which could in principle pick out different individuals in different possible worlds
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