type-token distinction
noun1
The distinction between a type of something and an instance of it, such as city and capital city (type of city) versus city and Paris (instance of a city). (It is the difference between (1) hypernym and hyponym and (2) class and instance.)
- Without the type-token distinction being made, some silly thinking can slip through.
2
An instance of this distinction being made.
- They're making several type-token distinctions in this paragraph.
- Related terms
- type-token ratio, Wiktionary:Thesaurus § Classes and instances