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tautology
tau·tol·o·gy / tôˈtäləjē/ • n. (pl. -gies) the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g., they arrived one after the other in succession). ∎ a phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in different words. ∎ Logic a statement that is true by necessity or by virtue of its logical form. DERIVATIVES: tau·to·log·i·cal / ˌtôtlˈäjikəl/ adj. tau·to·log·i·cal·ly / ˌtôtlˈäjik(ə)lē/ adv. tau·tol·o·gist / -jist/ n. tau·tol·o·gize / -ˌjīz/ v. tau·tol·o·gous / -gəs/ adj. |
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"tautology." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tautology." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tautology.html "tautology." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tautology.html |
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tautology
tautology The use of words to repeat (unnecessarily) the same statement or meaning. For example, the statement that ‘Britain is an island and surrounded by water’ is a tautology, since islands are by definition so described. Tautological explanations are similarly true by definition, or circular, and therefore unfalsifiable. Sociological explanations which locate the origins of social institutions in their effects tend to take this form. Thus, for example, some early functionalist anthropologists (including Bronislaw Malinowski) were prone to argue that, because certain (exotic) social practices (such as witchcraft) existed, then they must have a social function—and that one could assume they had that function precisely because the practices themselves existed.
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GORDON MARSHALL. "tautology." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. GORDON MARSHALL. "tautology." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-tautology.html GORDON MARSHALL. "tautology." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-tautology.html |
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tautology
tautology A law of logic, in the form of a proposition, that describes a universal truth; no matter what values are assigned to the variables in the proposition the result is always true. An example from the propositional calculus is (P ∨ Q)′ = P′ ∧ Q′
where ∨ and ∧ are the or and and operators and P′ is the negation of P. In the truth table for a tautology the final result column contains only the value true. If the final column contains only the value false, then a contradiction has been identified. |
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JOHN DAINTITH. "tautology." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "tautology." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-tautology.html JOHN DAINTITH. "tautology." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-tautology.html |
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TAUTOLOGY
TAUTOLOGY, also PLEONASM. A term in RHETORIC for unnecessary and ineffective REPETITION, usually with words that add nothing new: She was alone by herself. Many tautological (or tautologous) expressions occur in everyday usage. The tautology in some is immediately apparent: all well and good; cool, calm, and collected; free, gratis, and for nothing. In others, it is less obvious, because they contain archaic elements: by hook or by crook; a hue and cry; not a jot or tittle; null and void; rack and ruin. Compare CIRCUMLOCUTION, REDUNDANCY.
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TOM McARTHUR. "TAUTOLOGY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "TAUTOLOGY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-TAUTOLOGY.html TOM McARTHUR. "TAUTOLOGY." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-TAUTOLOGY.html |
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tautology
tautology XVI. — late L. tautologia — Gr. tautologíā, f. tautológos repeating what has been said (whence tautologous XVIII), f. tautó the same + -logos saying; see -LOGY.
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T. F. HOAD. "tautology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "tautology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tautology.html T. F. HOAD. "tautology." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tautology.html |
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tautology
tautology the saying of the same thing twice over in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g. they arrived one after the other in succession).
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tautology." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tautology." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tautology.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tautology." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tautology.html |
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tautology
tautology
•haji • algae • Angie
•argy-bargy, Panaji
•edgy, sedgy, solfeggi, veggie, wedgie
•cagey, stagy
•mangy, rangy
•Fiji, gee-gee, squeegee
•Murrumbidgee, ridgy, squidgy
•dingy, fringy, mingy, stingy, whingy
•cabbagy • prodigy • effigy • villagey
•porridgy • strategy • cottagey
•dodgy, podgy, splodgy, stodgy
•pedagogy
•Georgie, orgy
•ogee • Fuji
•bhaji, budgie, pudgy, sludgy, smudgy
•bulgy
•bungee, grungy, gungy, scungy, spongy
•allergy, analogy, genealogy, hypallage, metallurgy, mineralogy, tetralogy
•elegy
•antilogy, trilogy
•aetiology (US etiology), amphibology, anthology, anthropology, apology, archaeology (US archeology), astrology, biology, campanology, cardiology, chronology, climatology, cosmology, craniology, criminology, dermatology, ecology, embryology, entomology, epidemiology, etymology, geology, gynaecology (US gynecology), haematology (US hematology), hagiology, horology, hydrology, iconology, ideology, immunology, iridology, kidology, meteorology, methodology, musicology, mythology, necrology, neurology, numerology, oncology, ontology, ophthalmology, ornithology, parasitology, pathology, pharmacology, phraseology, phrenology, physiology, psychology, radiology, reflexology, scatology, Scientology, seismology, semiology, sociology, symbology, tautology, technology, terminology, theology, topology, toxicology, urology, zoology • eulogy • energy • synergy • apogee • liturgy • lethargy
•burgee, clergy
•zymurgy • dramaturgy
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"tautology." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tautology." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tautology.html "tautology." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tautology.html |
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