*1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation
2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive
Example Sentence:
The senatorial candidate argued that his opponent was using sophistry in an effort to distort his plan for education reform.
Did you know?
The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus "sophist" (which comes from Greek "sophist?s," meaning "wise man" or "expert") earned a negative connotation as "a captious or fallacious reasoner." "Sophistry" is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
Source: Merrian-Webster.com
MEANING:
of or belonging to summer, or the summer solstice.
ETYMOLOGY:
[a. Fr. estival (16th c. in LittrŽ), ad. L. ¾stvl-is a secondary adj. f. ¾stv-us (see ®STIVE); said at first only of the (summer) solstice, afterwards used instead of ¾stvus, as more analogous to vernlis, autumnlis, hiemlis. The spelling with ¾ after the Latin, is the more common in later times, especially in Nat. Hist. to which the word is chiefly restricted. The historical accentuation is estival (cf. festival); but estval appears in 1590 and was adopted by Dr. Johnson, after anal. of autumnal; the initial vowel in this and the following words in ¾st- is by many pronounced (i-).]Ê
(From OED)
