Dictum de Omni expresses what about universal affirmation?

• A. What is affirmed universally of a term is affirmed of every term under it
• B. What is denied universally of a term is denied of every term under it
• C. What is affirmed of some terms is affirmed of all terms
• D. What is denied of some terms is denied of all terms

Answer: (A)

Dictum de Omni is the principle that a universal affirmation about a broad term carries over to everything contained under that term. If something is affirmed of the whole class, it must be affirmed of every subordinate term within that class. For example, if we say All animals are living things, then anything that is a kind of animal—such as cats or dogs—is also affirmed to be a living thing. Therefore, the statement that expresses this idea is: what is affirmed universally of a term is affirmed of every term under it. The other options describe denial or extend affirmation to unrelated cases, which isn’t what this dictum asserts.