Ontology

Defined by Merriam-Websters: Ontology

1 : a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of being

2 : a particular theory about the nature of being or the kinds of things that have existence

Defined by Wikipedia: Ontology

1 : is a study of conceptions of reality and the nature of being. In philosophy, ontology is the study of being or existence and forms the basic subject matter of metaphysics. It seeks to describe or posit the basic categories and relationships of being or existence to define entities and types of entities within its framework. It is the science of what is, of the kinds and structures of the objects, properties and relations in every area of reality.

As for the web the ontology is about the exact description of web information and relationships between web information (W3 schools 2008).

OWL Ontologies:

Collection of information

-Information about classes

Examples: person, pet, objects, or things

-Information about properties

Examples: has_mom, has_pet, service_number, or object

-a collection of relationships between individuals and data

-a way of describing a kind of relationship between individuals

Ontology ([name] …)

Ontologies can include (import) information fro mother ontologies

-Ontology ([name] owl:imports() …)