petitio principii
/pəˈtɪʃiˌoʊ prɪnˈsɪpiˌaɪ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A particular argument which commits the fallacy of begging the question; a circular argument.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "A somewhat similar objection has been made by Locke and others, to the effect that the ordinary demonstrative syllogism is a petitio principii."
- "The Streitberg-Michels Theory is evidently a petitio principii. To explain ē in gēbum, it is from the outset taken for granted, for inadequate reasons of method, that the form must be a perfect. [italics original]"
Etymology
From Latin petītiō prīncipiī (literally “an assumption from the beginning”), calque of Ancient Greek τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ αἰτεῖσθαι (tò en arkhēî aiteîsthai, “to assume from the beginning”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pəˈtɪʃiˌoʊ prɪnˈsɪpiˌaɪ/
- British English: /pɪˈtɪʃiˌəʊ prɪnˈkɪpiˌaɪ/