logic

[loj-ik]

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noun

the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference.

a particular method of reasoning or argumentation: We were unable to follow his logic.

the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study.

reason or sound judgment, as in utterances or actions: There wasn't much logic in her move.

convincing forcefulness; inexorable truth or persuasiveness: the irresistible logic of the facts.

Computers. logic circuit.

Origin of logic

1325–75; Middle English logik < Latin logica, noun use of neuter plural (in ML taken as feminine singular) of Greek logikós of speech or reason. See logo-, -ic

Related formslog·ic·less, adjectivenon·log·ic, noun

Synonyms for logic

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR logic ON THESAURUS.COM

4. sense, cogency.

-logic

a combining form used in the formation of adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -logy: analogic.

Origin of -logic

< Greek -logikós. See logic

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

Related Words for logic

sanity, philosophy, rationale, sense, argumentation, inference, relationship, coherence, deduction, ratiocination, connection, syllogism, thesis, dialectic, induction, linkage

Examples from the Web for logic

Contemporary Examples of logic

Their logic: the sea-creature would come alive and drink up any remaining alcohol.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures
Justin Jones
December 30, 2014
The birds will seek us out and they will use no logic we know.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Kim Novak's heavy legs were concealed and all logic left on the cutting room floor.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
This came across in the Showtime Omit the Logic documentary—in which you were a commentator—and it comes across here.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America
David Yaffe, Scott Saul
December 10, 2014
There was a logic to it – many of the wines were from the Pacific Northwest, principally from Oregon and Washington state.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries
Clive Irving
December 7, 2014

Historical Examples of logic

In dealing with children what is needed is not logic but sense.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
Yet in spite of all his logic he knew that something was going to happen.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
Show me the fault of it: I challenge all the logic of all the Percivals.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The judges' decisions based on it were sound in logic and in law.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
What logic, what process of argument secures you against this supposition?
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
David Hume

British Dictionary definitions for logic

logic

noun

the branch of philosophy concerned with analysing the patterns of reasoning by which a conclusion is properly drawn from a set of premises, without reference to meaning or contextSee also formal logic, deduction (def. 4), induction (def. 4)

any particular formal system in which are defined axioms and rules of inferenceCompare formal system, formal language

the system and principles of reasoning used in a specific field of study

a particular method of argument or reasoning

force or effectiveness in argument or dispute

reasoned thought or argument, as distinguished from irrationality

the relationship and interdependence of a series of events, facts, etc

chop logic to use excessively subtle or involved logic or argument

electronics computing

the principles underlying the units in a computer system that perform arithmetical and logical operationsSee also logic circuit
(as modifier)a logic element

Word Origin for logic

C14: from Old French logique from Medieval Latin logica (neuter plural, treated in Medieval Latin as feminine singular), from Greek logikos concerning speech or reasoning

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

Word Origin and History for logic

mid-14c., "branch of philosophy that treats of forms of thinking," from Old French logique (13c.), from Latin (ars) logica, from Greek logike (techne) "reasoning (art)," from fem. of logikos "pertaining to speaking or reasoning," from logos "reason, idea, word" (see logos). Meaning "logical argumentation" is from c.1600.

logic in Science

logic

[lŏj′ĭk]

The study of the principles of reasoning, especially of the structure of propositions as distinguished from their content and of method and validity in deductive reasoning.

logic in Culture

logic

The branch of philosophy dealing with the principles of reasoning. Classical logic, as taught in ancient Greece and Rome, systematized rules for deduction. The modern scientific and philosophical logic of deduction has become closely allied to mathematics, especially in showing how the foundations of mathematics lie in logic.