acatalepsy

American

[ey-kat-l-ep-see] / eɪˈkæt lˌɛp si /

noun

Philosophy.

an ancient Skeptical view that no more than probable knowledge is available to human beings.

Other Word Forms

acataleptic noun

Etymology

Origin of acatalepsy

1595–1605; (< Medieval Latin acatalēpsia ) < Greek akatalēpsía, equivalent to akatalēpt ( eîn ) to not comprehend (verbal derivative of akatálēptos incomprehensible, ungraspable; a- ⁶, catalepsy ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Acatalepsy, a-kat-a-lep′si, n. incomprehensibility, a term of the sceptic school of Carneades, who thought nothing could be known to certainty by man.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023