 Ockham indeed explicitly denies that a complex definition is in general wholly synonymous with the corresponding defined  term.[30]  His point, presumably, is that the definition usually signifies more things than the defined term. Take “brave” again. Its definition, remember, is “a living being endowed with bravery”. Now, the first part of this complex expression makes us think of all living beings, whereas the simple term “brave” has only the brave ones as its primary significates and does not signify in any way the non-brave living beings. This shows in effect that simple connotative terms are not — at least not always — shorthand abbreviations for their nominal definitions in Ockham’s view. And it must be conjectured that some simple connotative concepts can be directly acquired on the basis of perceptual experiences, just as absolute ones are supposed to be (think of a relational concept like “taller than” or a qualitative one like “white”).