From conceptualization to operationalized meaning via ontological components

Ontologies enable knowledge sharing and interdisciplinary collaboration by providing standardized, structured vocabularies for diverse communities. While logical axioms are a cornerstone of ontology design, natural language elements such as annotations are equally critical for conveying intended meaning and ensuring consistent term usage. This paper explores how meaning is represented in ontologies and how it can be effectively represented and communicated, addressing challenges such as indeterminacy of reference and meaning holism. To this end, it proposes an approach founded on the use of a new structure, named 'ontological component' and defined by: a term-centered design; enhanced characterization of both formal and natural language statements; an operationalizable definition of communicated meaning based on general assertions; and the integration of natural language elements into the logical theory. By formalizing the meaning of ontological components, this work seeks to enhance the semantic robustness of terms, improving their clarity and accessibility across domains. Furthermore, it aims to address practical challenges in applied ontologies, such as facilitating reuse and managing versioning, thereby strengthening their role in diverse applications.