fallacy
/ˈfæl.ə.si/ noun
Forms fallacies
- noun Deceptive or false appearance; that which misleads the eye or the mind.
- noun (logic) An argument, or apparent argument, which professes to be decisive of the matter at issue, while in reality it is not; a specious argument.
Synonyms
deception deceitfulness logical fallacy incorrect argument misargument non-argument pseudoargument false belief
Etymology
From Middle English fallaci, fallace, fallas, from Old French fallace (whence -acy), from Latin fallācia (“deception, deceit”), from fallāx (“deceptive, deceitful”), from fallere (“to deceive”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Deceptive or false appearance; deceitfulness; that which misleads the eye or the mind; deception.
- noun An argument, or apparent argument, which professes to be decisive of the matter at issue, while in reality it is not; a sophism.
Etymology [OE. fallace, fallas, deception, F. fallace, fr. L. fallacia, fr. fallax deceitful, deceptive, fr. fallere to deceive. See Fail.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fallacy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details