The Collaborative International Dictionary
Nomothetic \Nom`o*thet"ic\, Nomothetical \Nom`o*thet"ic*al\, a.
Legislative; enacting laws; as, a nomothetical power. [R.]
--Bp. Barlow.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"lawgiving, legislative; based on law," 1650s, from Greek nomothetikos "relating to legislation, legislative," from nomothetes "lawgiving," from nomos "usage, custom, law" (see numismatics) + thetes "one who puts, places, or establishes." Related: Nomothetical (1610s.)
Wiktionary
a. (context rare English) define laws
WordNet
adj. relating to or involving the search for abstract universal principles [ant: idiographic]
Wikipedia
Nomothetic literally means "proposition of the law" (Greek derivation) and is used in philosophy (see also Nomothetic and idiographic), psychology, and law with differing meanings. In psychology, nomothetic measures are contrasted to ipsative or idiothetic measures, where nomothetic measures are measures that are observed on a relatively large sample and have a more general outlook while the idiographic approach is relating to a more singular case as is done in case studies.
Usage examples of "nomothetic".
Of course in this situation the choice between the idiographic or nomothetic method depends more and more on the critic and increasingly less on the picture itself.
Of course in this situation the choice between the idiographic or nomothetic method depends more and more on the critic and increasingly less on the picture itself.