sorites

[ saw-rahy-teez, soh- ]

/ sɔˈraɪ tiz, soʊ- /

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noun Logic.

a form of argument having several premises and one conclusion, capable of being resolved into a chain of syllogisms, the conclusion of each of which is a premise of the next.

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Origin of sorites

1545–55; <Latin sōrītēs<Greek sōreítēs literally, heaped, piled up, derivative of sōrós a heap

OTHER WORDS FROM sorites

so·rit·i·cal

[saw-rit-i-kuhl, soh-], /sɔˈrɪt ɪ kəl, soʊ-/, so·rit·ic, adjective

Words nearby sorites

sorghum, sorghum beer, sorgo, sori, soricine, sorites, sorn, soroban, Sorocaba, Sorokin, Sorolla y Bastida

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sorites in a sentence

Now the rest is concluded by a sorites of foure degrees: As yr, is unto yi: so by the 12.
The Way To Geometry|Peter Ramus
Among these logical puzzles are the following: Sorites, the heap trick.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata
Two modes of abbreviating a Polysyllogism, are usually discussed, the Epicheirema and the Sorites.
Logic|Carveth Read
Certainly the sorites-like form of statement in the scheme of causation had charms for Oriental thinkers.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with Christianity|Sir Monier Monier-Williams

The Sorites uses several middle terms by which the predicate of the last proposition is connected with the first subject.
A Logic Of Facts|George Jacob Holyoake

British Dictionary definitions for sorites

sorites

/ (sɒˈraɪtiːz) /

noun

logic

a polysyllogism in which the premises are arranged so that intermediate conclusions are omitted, being understood, and only the final conclusion is stated
a paradox of the formthese few grains of sand do not constitute a heap, and the addition of a single grain never makes what is not yet a heap into a heap: so no matter how many single grains one adds it never becomes a heap

Derived forms of sorites

soritical (sɒˈrɪtɪkəl) or soritic, adjective

Word Origin for sorites

C16: via Latin from Greek sōreitēs, literally: heaped, from sōros a heap

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