syllogism
|syl-lo-gism|
🇺🇸
/ˈsɪl.ə.dʒɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˈsɪl.ə.dʒɪz(ə)m/
deductive inference
Etymology
'syllogism' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'syllogismos', where 'syn-/syl-' meant 'together' and the root (from 'logizesthai' or 'legein') related to 'reckon, gather, or reason'.
'syllogism' passed into Late Latin as 'syllogismus', then into Medieval Latin and Old French forms, and entered English in Middle English as forms like 'sylogisme' before becoming the modern English 'syllogism'.
Initially, it referred to a 'bringing together' or 'inference' (a process of collecting propositions); over time it narrowed to mean the formal deductive argument composed of premises leading to a conclusion.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a form of deductive reasoning consisting of two premises and a conclusion; a logical argument in which a conclusion follows necessarily from given premises.
A classic syllogism is: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.
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Noun 2
by extension, any argument or piece of reasoning that follows the pattern of a syllogism, sometimes used critically for overly formal or specious reasoning.
His explanation boiled down to a faulty syllogism that ignored important facts.
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Last updated: 2025/08/16 08:10