enthymeme

American  

[en-thuh-meem] / ˈɛn θəˌmim /

noun

Logic.

1. a syllogism or other argument in which a premise or the conclusion is unexpressed.

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enthymeme British  

/ ˈɛnθɪˌmiːm /

noun

1. an incomplete syllogism, in which one or more premises are unexpressed as their truth is considered to be self-evident

2. any argument some of whose premises are omitted as obvious

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Other Word Forms

• enthymematic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of enthymeme

1580–90; < Latin enthȳmēma < Greek enthȳ́mēma thought, argument, equivalent to enthȳmē-, variant stem of enthȳmeîsthai to ponder ( en- en- ² + -thȳmeîsthai verbal derivative of thȳmós spirit, thought) + -ma noun suffix of result

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enthymeme

So the enthymeme version of that would be "Aristotle is a man, therefore Aristotle is mortal."

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2014

“Elvis had to die sometime: all men are mortal” is an enthymeme rather than a syllogism, because it makes the assumption that Elvis was human, whereas anyone who has seen Men in Black knows otherwise.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

The kinds of argument treated in the classical rhetoric were two: the enthymeme, or rhetorical syllogism; and the rhetorical induction or example.

From Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism by Donald Lemen Clark

If I ever did bring every art into play, I did then—period, transition, enthymeme, deduction—everything.

From The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1 The Whole Extant Correspodence in Chronological Order by Evelyn S. Shuckburgh

Therefore, whenever an arguer makes use of the enthymeme without attempting to establish a suppressed premise whose truth is not admitted, he has argued fallaciously.

From Practical Argumentation by George K. Pattee

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