This is going to sound way, way off the wall. And I don’t have time to think up any really good examples that would support my point. So I will just offer the opinion that definitions are “one way things,” and then provide one sorta weak example.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, you can look up its definition to learn what it means. However, if you start by reading a definition, and can think of something that meets that definition, that doesn’t mean you were thinking of that same unfamiliar word. Definitions don’t go backwards. Just because an ATS has some characteristics that are included in the definition of switchgear, that does not imply that an ATS is a type of switchgear.
My weak example: The car theft was young, perhaps 22, light skin, brown hair, wearing blue jeans and a red hat. I see someone walking across the street who is young, perhaps 22, light skin, brown hair, wearing blue jeans and a red hat. Can you conclude that that person is the car thief? It might be, or it might not be, and the police might want to have a word with him. But the fact that he answers the description does not imply that he is the criminal.
