to be or not to be

from labels to libraries, i'm always in search of not only new words, but remembrance of the definition to words long known but forgotten. case in point: ontology. i knew it in context, but couldn't define it. (slightly ironic, given the following field of study, don't you think?) because ontological pursuits, from the Greek, have everything to do with "that which is", see also logia, the scientific study of being, existence and reality. ontology is the branch of philosophy generally filed under metaphysics. so, i have to ask: if i don't say the word, does it really mean anything?