Definition and Mind

Any Definition presupposes a Definition of Definition.  But a Definition of Definition must be self-exemplifying, and, hence, axiomatic.  Thus, Spinoza's location of Axioms after Definitions misrepresents their Logical order.  Now, it seems difficult to soundly dispute that any definition is fundamentally verbal, operational, and stipulative, i. e. because to do so requires going beyond the immediately given, which is question-begging, e. g. that a Definition represents a non-verbal eternal entity like an idea, rather than articulating how it is to be used in a given context, no matter how large that context is.  Hence, a Definition can be defined as a provisional fixing of the usage of a term or sequence of terms.  It expresses a limitation of Mental operations by the capacity of Mind, corresponding to the limitation of the manipulation of tools by the capacity of the hand, and codified by Kant's concept of Mind.  But that limitation is an initial limiting condition that neither delimits nor specifically prefigures subsequent operations, e. g. the extent of the scope of a system or the accomplishments of automated tools.