| 释义 |
▪ I. argument|ˈɑːgjuːmənt|
[a. F. argument (13th c.), ad. L. argūment-um, f. arguĕre (or refashioning, after this, of OF. arguement, f. arguer): see argue. For use of the L. form, see 3 c.]
1. Proof, evidence, manifestation, token. (Passing from clear proof in early, to proof presumptive in later usage; cf. argue 3.) arch.
1382Wyclif Acts i. 3 To which and he ȝaf hym silf a lyue..in manye argumentis, or prouyngis. 1447O. Bokenham Lyvys of Seyntys 53, I wante the argumentes of a man. 1599Shakes. Much Ado ii. iii. 242 It is no addition to her witte, nor no great argument of her folly. 1678Trans. Crt. Spain 91 Flight is not then an argument of a bad Conscience. 1728T. Sheridan Persius (1739) 20 note, Beating the Desk and biting of Nails were Arguments of taking Pains. 1759Martin Nat. Hist. I. 251 To remove the two Giants..would be a greater Argument of Taste than fixing them up.
2. Astr. and Math. The angle, arc, or other mathematical quantity, from which another required quantity may be deduced, or on which its calculation depends.
c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 549 Hise othere geeris, As been his centris and hise Argumentz. c1391― Astrol. xliv. 54 To knowe the mene mote and the argumentis of any planete. 1796Hutton Math. Dict. I. 141/2 Annual argument of the moon's apogee..is the distance of the sun's place from the place of the moon's apogee. 1879Thomson & Tait Nat. Phil. I. i. §54 An arc of the circle referred to..is the Argument of the harmonic motion.
3. a. A statement or fact advanced for the purpose of influencing the mind; a reason urged in support of a proposition; spec. in Logic, the middle term in a syllogism. Also fig.
c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 158 Clerkes wol seyn as hem leste By Argumentz that al is for the beste. 1475Caxton Jason 88 Why replye not ye to this argument. 1535Coverdale Job xxiii. 3 To pleate my cause before him, and to fyll my mouth with argumentes. 1664H. More Myst. Iniq. 338 But that the Beast that was, and is not, is not the Devil, we shall now evince by other arguments. 1724Watts Logic iii. ii. §7 The middle term..is often called the Argument, because the force of the syllogisms depends upon it. c1790Reid Let. in Wks. I. 81/2 It is a good argument ad hominem, against the scheme of Necessity held by Hume. 1852C. M. Yonge Cameos (1877) II. i. 5 Well provided with golden arguments. 1865Mozley Mirac. viii. 187 Anything is an argument which naturally and legitimately produces an effect upon our minds, and tends to make us think one way rather than another.
b. Const. (to obs.), for, a conclusion; hence (of later origin) against the contrary.
c1374Chaucer Troylus i. 466 Argumentis to this conclusion, That she on hym wold have compassion. 1643J. Burroughes Hosea i. (1652) 7 It is a great argument to obedience to know it is the word of the Lord that is spoken. 1863Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. ii. iii. 349 The arguments for and against the preservation of trial by jury.
c. In certain phrases borrowed from the formal terminology of the schools, the L, argumentum is in current use, esp. in argumentum ad hominem. argumentum e (or ex) silentio, an argument from silence: used of a conclusion based on lack of contrary evidence.
1690Locke Hum. Und. iv. xvii. (1695) 391 To press a Man with Consequences drawn from his own Principles, or Concessions..is already known under the Name of Argumentum ad Hominem. [Cf. quot. 1790 in 3 a.] 1934Toynbee Stud. Hist. II. 274 This argumentum ex silentio does not, of course, go very far. 1939L. H. Gray Foundations of Lang. iv. 99 We perceive that the absence of a common designation in the Indo-European period for a given concept or thing by no means necessarily implies the non-existence of that concept or thing at that period. The argumentum e silentio is notoriously fragile. 1962Listener 6 Sept. 364/2 Doesn't Dr. Needham..give the Chinese the benefit of a doubt, sometimes, with an argumentum e silentio?
4. A connected series of statements or reasons intended to establish a position (and, hence, to refute the opposite); a process of reasoning; argumentation.
1393Gower Conf. III. 139 To trete upon this jugement Made eche of hem his argument. c1440Gesta Rom. i. lxvii. 248 Therfore lat vs fle the wordle..and by good argument we shulle haue the kyngdome of Heuene. 1577Holinshed Chron. II. 16/2 Truly this argument hangeth togither by verie strange gimbols. 1660Barrow Euclid i. xvi, By the like argument is the angle ICH = ABH. a1704T. Brown Table T. Wks. 1730 I. 140 You're out in your argument. 1877W. Lytteil Landm. i. iv. 35 To recapitulate the successive steps of the argument.
5. a. Statement of the reasons for and against a proposition; discussion of a question; debate.
1494Fabyan vii. ccxxviii. 257 Than y⊇ stryfe..was brought in argument before the pope. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. iii. i. 105 How did this argument begin? 1671Milton Samson 903 In argument with men a woman ever Goes by the worse. 1711Shaftesbury Charac. ii. iv. (1714) II. 305 So intent in upholding their own side of the argument. 1883J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvii. 207 The greater part of [such difficulties] are advanced merely for the sake of argument.
†b. transf. Subject of contention, or debate. Obs.
1595Shakes. Hen. V, iii. i. 21 And sheath'd their Swords, for lack of argument. 1614Raleigh Hist. World ii. 472 Much argument of quarrel ministred betweene them and the Townesmen.
†6. Subject-matter of discussion or discourse in speech or writing; theme, subject. Obs. or arch.
1570R. Ascham Scholem. Pref. 21 How to write in this kinde of argument. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. ii. 100 It would be argument for a Weeke. Ibid. ii. iv. 310 And the argument shall be, thy runing away. a1674Clarendon Hist. Reb. II. vii. 205 He grew the Argument of all Tongues, every Man enquiring who, and what He was. 1791Stormont Monody Pr. Wales i, Should woo the British muse..To strains of bitter argument. 1834Disraeli Rev. Epick iii. vii, The throbbing deed Shall make thy name a household argument Familiar with their voices.
7. The summary or abstract of the subject-matter of a book; a syllabus; fig. the contents.
1535Goodly Primer (1848) 290 The argument into the xxivth psalm. In this psalm David singeth all things to be the Lord's; etc. 1607Shakes. Timon ii. ii. 187 If I would..try the argument of hearts, by borrowing. 1728Pope Dunc. 1, Argument to Book the First. 1824J. Johnson Typogr. I. 165 Orations, which with the argument..take up nineteen leaves.
Add:[2.] b. Math. and Computing. An independent variable of a function (e.g. x and y in z = f(x, y)).
1865Brande & Cox Dict. Sci., Lit., & Art I. 768 Any trigonometrical function of ϕ is termed an elliptic function, having the argument u and modulus k. 1879Encycl. Brit. IX. 818/1 In each case u is the independent variable or argument of the function. 1946Nature 12 Oct. 503/2 The ENIAC has three function tables.., each of which comprises an array of switches on which 6-figure values of two functions, with signs, or a 12-figure value of one function, can be set up for each of 104 values of an argument. 1974A. V. Aho et al. Design & Anal. Computer Algorithms i. 37 After a function procedure has been defined, it can be invoked in an expression by using its name with the desired arguments. 1984Computerworld 5 Mar. 54 Use of Boolean commands to connect a segment search argument with the next argument list in the..search field list.
▪ II. † ˈargument, v. Obs.
[a. F. argumente-r, ad. L. argūmentā-ri to conduct an argument, f. argūment-um: see prec.]
1. intr. To adduce arguments, argue, reason.
c1320Seuyn Sages (W.) 195 The fifte yer, he gan argument Of the sterre, and of the firmament. c1374Chaucer Troylus i. 377 Thus argumentyd he. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts 153 Thus they argument for the horns of Elephants. 1637Gillespie Eng.-Pop. Cer. ii. ix. 42 We argument also from the Scandall of them.
2. To give evidence, furnish proof, that.
1558Kennedy Compend. Treat. in Misc. Wodr. Soc. (1844) 114 Albeit that it apperteneth to the Apostolis..it argumentis not that utheris etc.
3. To furnish with arguments or syllabuses. rare.
1611H. Broughton Require Agreem. 52 He [Homer] caused both workes to be argumented by 24 verses.
4. trans. To make the subject of argument or debate.
1746Da Costa in Phil. Trans. XLIV. 406 As for the regular Figure of the Belemnites being excepted against, I believe few Fossilists will argument that. |