non-objectn.adj.
/nɒnˈɒbdʒᵻkt/, /nɒnˈɒbdʒɛkt/, U.S. /nɑnˈɑbdʒək(t)/ A. n.
1. A thing which is not, or does not represent, a material or real object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > materiality > immateriality > [noun] > immaterial or incorporeal thing
spiritual1495
incorporate?1533
immateriality1648
insensible1656
incorporal1678
incorporeity1743
imponderable1855
intangible1914
non-object1914
1914 C. D. Broad Perception, Physics & Reality i. 8 We must accept the possibility of real non-objects, though there cannot be apparent non-objects.
1969 Jrnl. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 79 272 The list [sc. Bode's catalogue] is greatly inflated by numerous asterisms and ‘non-objects’.
1990 Brain 113 403 Line drawings of 20 simple household objects and 20 nonobjects designed to incorporate real object parts.., were presented randomly.
2. Grammar. Something which is not a grammatical object. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > object > that which is not an object
non-object1964
1964 E. A. Nida Toward Sci. Translating v. 109 Semantic markers are primarily of two types: (1) those which mark positive-negative dichotomies, e.g. nonobject vs. object and verbal vs. nonverbal.
B. adj. (attributive).
1. Not representing or associated with a material object or objects.
ΚΠ
1938 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 44 234 Whatever the reason for the rise of non-object art.., it is the ideal of the art-for-art's-sake school.
1971 Gloss. Electrotechnical, Power Terms (B.S.I.) iv. ii. 9 Non-object (perceived) colour, colour perceived as non-located in depth, such as that perceived as filling a hole in a screen.
1998 Jrnl. Consumer Res. 25 286/1 Such effects also apply to nonobject endowments, such as such as romantic attachments and academic success.
2. Grammar. Not involving a grammatical object; not functioning as a grammatical object. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [adjective] > not functioning as an object
non-object1963
1963 F. T. Visser Hist. Syntax Eng. Lang. I. iv. 429 For its [sc. ‘the self's’] use in non-object relations see 1959 Carstensen p. 226.
1992 Ann. Rev. Anthropol. 21 388 Figure 1 uses the non-object, nonpossessive forms to stand for all personal pronouns.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1914