Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
tautology - 5 dictionary results

tau⋅tol⋅o⋅gy

  [taw-tol-uh-jee]
Use tautology in a Sentence
–noun, plural -gies.
1. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”
2. an instance of such repetition.
3. Logic.
a. a compound propositional form all of whose instances are true, as “A or not A.”
b. an instance of such a form, as “This candidate will win or will not win.”
Origin:
1570–80; < LL tautologia < Gk tautología. See tauto-, -logy

Related forms:
tau⋅to⋅log⋅i⋅cal  [tawt-l-oj-i-kuhl] , tau⋅to⋅log⋅ic, tau⋅tol⋅o⋅gous  [taw-tol-uh-guhs] , adjective
tau⋅to⋅log⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, tau⋅tol⋅o⋅gous⋅ly, adverb
tau⋅tol⋅o⋅gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tautology
tau·tol·o·gy   (tô-tŏl'ə-jē)   
n.   pl. tau·tol·o·gies
    1. Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy.
    2. An instance of such repetition.
  2. Logic An empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, the statement Either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow.

[Late Latin tautologia, from Greek tautologiā, from tautologos, redundant : tauto-, tauto- + logos, saying; see -logy.]
tau'to·log'i·cal (tôt'l-ŏj'ĭ-kəl), tau'to·log'ic (-ĭk) adj., tau'to·log'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Tautology

Tau*tol"o*gy\, n. [L. tautologia, Gr. ?: cf. F. tautologie.] (Rhet.) A repetition of the same meaning in different words; needless repetition of an idea in different words or phrases; a representation of anything as the cause, condition, or consequence of itself, as in the following lines:

The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings on the day. --Addison.

Syn: Repetition.

Usage: Tautology, Repetition. There may be frequent repetitions (as in legal instruments) which are warranted either by necessity or convenience; but tautology is always a fault, being a sameness of expression which adds nothing to the sense or the sound.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

tautology 
1579, from L.L. tautologia "representation of the same thing" (c.350), from Gk. tautologia, from tautologos "repeating what has been said," from tauto "the same" + -logos "saying," related to legein "to say" (see lecture).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

tautology logic
A proposition which is always true.
Compare: paradox.
The Linguistic Smarandache Tautologies,.
(1999-07-28)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see tautology on Thesaurus | Reference