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enthymeme - 4 dictionary results

en⋅thy⋅meme

  [en-thuh-meem]
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–noun Logic.
a syllogism or other argument in which a premise or the conclusion is unexpressed.
Origin:
1580–90; < L enthȳmēma < Gk enthȳ́mēma thought, argument, equiv. to enthȳmē-, var. s. of enthȳmeîsthai to ponder (en- en- 2 + -thȳmeîsthai v. deriv. of thȳmós spirit, thought) + -ma n. suffix of result

Related forms:
en⋅thy⋅me⋅mat⋅ic  [en-thuh-mee-mat-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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en·thy·meme   (ěn'thə-mēm')   
n.   Logic
A syllogism in which one of the premises or the conclusion is not stated explicitly.

[Latin enthȳmēma, from Greek enthūmēma, a rhetorical argument, from enthūmeisthai, to consider : en-, in; see en-2 + thūmos, mind.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Enthymeme

En"thy*meme\, n. [Gr. ?, fr. ? to keep in mind, consider; ? in + ? mind, soul.] (Logic) An argument consisting of only two propositions, an antecedent and consequent deduced from it; a syllogism with one premise omitted; as, We are dependent; therefore we should be humble. Here the major proposition is suppressed. The complete syllogism would be, Dependent creatures should be humble; we are dependent creatures; therefore we should be humble.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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enthymeme

in syllogistic, or traditional, logic, name of a syllogistic argument that is incompletely stated. In the argument "All insects have six legs; therefore, all wasps have six legs," the minor premise, "All wasps are insects," is suppressed. Any one of the propositions may be omitted-even the conclusion; but in general it is the one that comes most naturally to the mind. Often in rhetorical language the deliberate omission of one of the propositions has a dramatic effect. This use of the word differs from Aristotle's original application of it (in his Prior Analytics, ii, 27) to a rhetorical syllogism (employed for persuasion instead of instruction) based on "probabilities or signs"; i.e., on propositions that are generally valid or on particular facts that may be held to justify a general principle or another particular fact.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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