Etymology

sophistry

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Today it means: The actions or arguments of a sophist. Full definition →

Middle English safistre ← Old French sofisterie ← Medieval Latin sophistria
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromσοφιστής“wise man”
  2. Latin · derived fromsophista
  3. Latin · derived fromsophestria
  4. Medieval Latin · derived fromsophistria
  5. Old French · derived fromsofisterie
  6. Middle English · inherited fromsafistre
  7. English todaysophistry

From Middle English safistre, soffistre, sofystry, sophestrie, sophestry, sophestrye, sophistre, sophistri, sophistrie, sophistry, sophistrye, sophystrye, from Old French sofisterie, sophistrie and Medieval Latin sophistria, Anglo-Latin sophestria, from Latin sophista, from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise man”), from σοφίζω (sophízō, “to be wise”), from σοφός (sophós, “wise”), equivalent to sophist + -ry.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.