elenchus

[ ih-leng-kuh s ]

/ ɪˈlɛŋ kəs /

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noun, plural e·len·chi [ih-leng-kahy, -kee] /ɪˈlɛŋ kaɪ, -ki/.

a logical refutation; an argument that refutes another argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion.

Nearby words

elementary school, elementary, my dear watson, elements, elemi, elena, elenchus, elenctic, elenore, eleoma, eleonora, eleoptene

Origin of elenchus

1655–65; < Latin < Greek élenchos refutation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elenchus

The separate value of the negative procedure or Elenchus was never before so unequivocally asserted, or so highly estimated.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume I (of 4)|George Grote
Elenchus quorumdam eorum qui de ludis scripserunt, et de ludis orientalibus; auctore Thoma Hyde.
Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards|William Andrew Chatto
The application of this Elenchus is the work of the Sophist, looked at on its best side.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote
His peculiar gift was that of cross-examination, or the application of his Elenchus to discriminate pretended from real knowledge.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume I (of 4)|George Grote

Prefixed to his "Elenchus of opinions on Small-Pox," is a portrait that represents him as a well-looking fellow.
A Book about Doctors|John Cordy Jeaffreson

British Dictionary definitions for elenchus

elenchus

/ (ɪˈlɛŋkəs) /

noun plural -chi (-kaɪ) logic

refutation of an argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion, esp syllogistically

Socratic elenchus the drawing out of the consequences of a position in order to show them to be contrary to some accepted position

Word Origin for elenchus

C17: from Latin, from Greek elenkhos refutation, from elenkhein to put to shame, refute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012