Abstract
Utilizing abstractions of large conceptual models may enhance their clarity and comprehensibility. This work assesses an existing algorithm for generating abstractions of ontology-driven conceptual models. Although the algorithm has been empirically evaluated using the FAIR catalog of such models, it still lacks formal semantics. This paper addresses this gap by formalizing the basic transformations underlying the abstraction process in —the expressive and decidable description logic that underpins the Web Ontology Language (OWL 2). Specifically, it demonstrates that, under certain natural assumptions, these transformations are obtained by a formal procedure known as axiom weakening.