intension (n.)

(1) A term used in philosophy and logic, and now often used as part of a theoretical framework for LINGUISTIC SEMANTICS, to refer to the set of defining properties which determines the APPLICABILITY of a term. For example, ‘legs’, ‘flat surface’, etc., define the intension of table, and an intensional definition would be based on such notions, e.g. ‘A table is something with legs, a flat surface, etc.’ It is opposed to EXTENSION.

(2) Intension is also used in SEMANTICS to refer to the SENSE of an EXPRESSION, especially when modelled as a FUNCTION from INDICES to EXTENSIONS, as in POSSIBLE-WORLDS SEMANTICS. For ‘intensional contexts’.