Etymology

elenchus

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Today it means: A technique of argument associated with Socrates wherein the arguer asks the interlocutor to agree with a series of premises and conclusions, ending with the arguer's intended point. Full definition →

Latin elenchus ← Ancient Greek ἔλεγχος
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromἔλεγχος“refutation, scrutiny, control”
  2. Latin · derived fromelenchus
  3. English todayelenchus

From Latin elenchus, from Ancient Greek ἔλεγχος (élenkhos, “refutation, scrutiny, control”). Doublet of elench.

Words from the same roots

Latinelenchus all →

elench

Ancient Greekἔλεγχος all →

elench

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.