Literary notes about nominal (AI summary)
In literature, "nominal" is employed to denote the idea of something that exists only in name or at a minimal, symbolic level rather than in true substance. It frequently signals that an official title or figure—be it monetary, military, or administrative—is merely a token gesture. For instance, authors highlight how inscriptions of power often amount to little more than nominal authority, as when a ruler's control is recognized only in title [1], [2], or when sums paid are described as merely nominal amounts that lack real value [3], [4]. Additionally, the term extends into grammatical discussions, where it designates a base used solely for naming purposes [5], [6]. In all these contexts, "nominal" underscores the contrast between what is stated and what is fundamentally actual.
- Henceforth the country belonged to the Turkish Empire, though from 1710 the connection was little more than nominal.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - The son of the prince was continued in nominal authority, with Mongol administrators.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano - The rise of their nominal price is the effect, not of any degradation of the value of silver, but of the rise in their real price.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - She received the nominal sum of one dollar, and assumed personally the entire indebtedness.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - If our grammatical analysis is right, we should have yudh as a nominal base in yúdh-ya-ti , lit.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Used as a nominal base the same root viś appears, without any change, in the nom.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
