[Ads-l] scalar

[James A. Landau]

On Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:50:00 Zone-0400 Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote (ELIded?)

<quote> <snip>
As for “intense”, it doesn’t just mean “very tense” the way excellent 
means ‘(very) very good’ or "frigid” means ‘very cold'; the relationship 
between the two adjectives isn’t strictly scalar. <snip><end quote>

I am used to hearing "scalar" (meaning having only a magnitude, in contrast to a vector which can represent both a magnitude and a direction)
from mathematicians and physical scientists, but only when discussing topics involving vectors.  The above is a usage I do not recall ever having heard.  Also I'm not sure exactly "scalar" means in this context.

- Jim landau 

_____________________________________________________________
Netscape.  Just the Net You Need.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org