The nature of abstract concept formation is examined, investigating its three underlying, "metaphorological" principles: (1) the transformational principle based on the notions of metaphorical transformation and the mapping process, (2) the layering principle based on the tenet that concepts are formed from lower to higher abstraction levels, and (3) the interconnectedness principle stating that metaphorized concepts are detectable not only in language but also other types of cultural semiosis (e.g., art, science, nonverbal communication). The mechanics and products of these principles are illustrated with the various abstraction levels of the English concept of 'knowing' metaphorized as a mental state of 'seeing in the light'. (Z. Dubiel in LLBA 2002, vol. 36, n. 3)