1. How Sacraments can be Distinguished

252. On the first point, note that a sacrament is distinguished in one way as a term is into its significations, namely into sacrament properly said and sacrament improperly said. It is distinguished in another way as a higher class is into its lower kinds, and this in three ways. For since it is a sensible thing signifying something, it can be different sacraments because it can be different sensible things. Or it can be a different sacrament having a different signification, and that in two ways - either a simply different signification with respect to different signified things, or a signification different in a certain respect as regard a thing that varies as to more and less.