apagoge
|a-pag-o-ge|
🇺🇸
/ˌæpəˈɡoʊɡi/
🇬🇧
/ˌæpəˈɡəʊɡi/
lead away; indirect refutation
Etymology
'apagoge' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἀπάγωγή (apagōgē)', where 'ἀ-' meant 'away' and 'ἄγω' meant 'to lead'.
'ἀπάγωγή' passed into Latin and Medieval Latin as 'apagoge' and was borrowed into English with specialized senses in logic and rhetoric.
Initially it meant 'a leading away' (literal removal or guidance), but over time it evolved into a technical term in logic for 'indirect proof' or 'refutation by reduction'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a form of indirect proof or argument (in logic and rhetoric) in which a proposition is established by showing that its negation leads to contradiction or absurdity; an argument by reduction.
The paper defends the theorem by an apagoge, showing that the opposite assumption produces an absurd consequence.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/09/14 09:20