argument

Etymology 1

From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman and Old French arguement, from Latin argūmentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”), from arguere + -mentum (suffix indicating the instrument, medium, or result of something). Arguere is the present active infinitive of arguō (“to argue, assert, declare; to make clear, prove, show; to accuse, charge with, reprove; to blame, censure; to denounce as false”), either ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- (“silver, white; glittering”), or from Hittite [script needed] (arkuwā(i)-, “to make a plea, state one’s case”). The English word is analysable as argue + -ment. Doublet of argumentum. Displaced native Old English racu and ġeflit.

noun

1. (countable, also figurative) A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
   1. (logic, philosophy) A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
      Consider the argument: / 15) I am hungry; therefore I am hungry. / Intuitively this should count as valid. But suppose we thought of the components of arguments as sentences, and suppose we imagine the context shifting between the utterance of the premise and the utterance of the conclusion. Suppose you are hungry and utter the premise, and I am not hungry and utter the conclusion. Then we would have a true premise and a false conclusion, so the argument would not be valid. Clearly we need to avoid such problems, and introducing the notion of a proposition, in the style of this section, is one way of doing so. 2001, Mark Sainsbury, “Validity”, in Logical Forms: An Introduction to Philosophical Logic, 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Blackwell Publishing, § 8, page 35
      In ‘The Critic of Arguments’ (1892), [Charles Sanders] Peirce adopts a notion that is even closer to that of a propositional function. There he develops the concept of the ‘rhema’. He says the rhema is like a relative term, but it is not a term. It contains a copula, that is, when joined to the correct number of arguments it produces an assertion. For example, ‘__ is bought by __ from __ for __’ is a four-place rhema. Applying it to four objects a, b, c, and d produces the assertion that a is bought by b from c for d[…]. 20 July 2011, Edwin Mares, “Propositional Functions”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, fall 2011 edition, archived from the original on 2020-08-07
2. (countable) A process of reasoning; argumentation.
   Meanwhile, the authoritarianism, which has turned left-liberalism into a movement for sneaks and prudes, was always going to play into the hands of the right. Free citizens have stopped listening to those who respond to the challenge of argument by screaming for the police to arrest the politically incorrect or for universities to ban speakers who depart from leftish orthodoxy. 2 October 2016, Nick Cohen, “Liberal Guilt Won’t Fight Nationalism”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 195, numbers 17 (30 September – 6 October 2016), London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 21, column 3
3. (countable) An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figurative) the contents themselves.
4. (countable) A verbal dispute; a quarrel.
   The neighbours got into an argument about the branches of the trees that extended over the fence.
5. (by extension, humorous or euphemistic) Any dispute, altercation, or collision.
   Steve got in a physical argument with his neighbor and came away with a black eye.
   While biking home, he got in an argument with the pavement.
   D5131 has received extensive cab damage, having been in an argument with Class 37 D6855 at Inverness in August 1971 - one of two accidents that occurred there on August 20. January 26 2022, John Crosse, “When the tide turned to a safer railway...”, in RAIL, number 949, page 52, photo caption
6. (countable, linguistics) Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
   In numerous works over the past two decades, beginning with the pioneering work of Gruber (1965), Fillmore (1968a), and Jackendoff (1972), it has been argued that each Argument (i.e. Subject or Complement) of a Predicate bears a particular thematic role (alias theta-role, or θ-role to its Predicate), and that the set of thematic functions which Arguments can fulfil are drawn from a highly restricted, finite, universal set. 1988, Andrew Radford, “The Lexicon”, in Transformational Grammar: A First Course (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, published 1999, section 7.10 (Thematic Relations), pages 372–373
7. (countable, mathematics)
   1. The independent variable of a function.
   2. The phase of a complex number.
   3. (also astronomy) A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.
      The altitude is the argument of the refraction.
8. (countable, programming)
   1. A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.
      Parameters are like labelled fillable blanks used to define a function whereas arguments are passed to a function when calling it, filling in those blanks.
   2. A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
9. (countable, obsolete)
   1. A matter in question; a business in hand.
   2. The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.
      The abstract, or argument of the piece, is shortly as follows. The passage does not appear in the original review published in the Edinburgh Review (February 1822), volume XXXVI, issue LXXII, pages 413–452. 1844, Francis Jeffrey, “Sardanapalus, a Tragedy. The Two Foscari, a Tragedy. Cain, a Mystery. By Lord Byron. 8vo. pp. 440. Murray, London: 1822. [book review]”, in Contributions to the Edinburgh Review.[…], 2nd edition, volume II, London: […] [Andrew Spottiswoode] for Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans,[…], →OCLC, part III (Poetry), page 357
10. (uncountable, archaic) Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.

Etymology 2

The obsolete senses are derived from Middle English argumenten (“to argue, discuss; to consider, reflect”), from Old French argumenter (“to argue”), from Latin argūmentārī, the present active infinitive of argūmentor (“to adduce arguments or proof, prove, reason; to adduce (something) as argument or proof; to conclude”), from argūmentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”) (see further at etymology 1) + -or (the first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). The current sense is derived from the noun.

verb

1. (intransitive, obsolete, now nonstandard, non-native speakers' English) To put forward as an argument; to argue.
   Both kneeling, and all the reſt of the Popiſh Ceremonies, may well be compared to the Brazen Serpent. […] I. Rainoldes [i.e., John Rainolds] argumenteth, from Hezekiah his breaking downe of the Brazen Serpent, to the plucking downe of the ſigne of the Croſſe. 1637, [George Gillespie], “That the Ceremonies are Unlawfull, because They are Monuments of By-past Idolatry,[…]”, in A Dispvte against the English-Popish Ceremonies Obtrvded vpon the Chvrch of Scotland.[…], [Leiden: […] W. Christiaens], →OCLC, 3rd part (Against the Lavvfulnesse of the Ceremonies), section 15, page 29
   […] And Lord Lanſdown, in his Preface to the Britiſh Enchanters, exclaims againſt that Species of Dramatic Dialogue, which (inſtead of being free, natural, and eaſy, as Converſation ſhould be) is preciſe, or formal, argumenting pro and con, like Diſputants in a School; […] [1762], attributed to Thomas Augustine Arne, “Preface”, in Artaxerxes. An English Opera.[…], London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson[…], →OCLC
   But, can this be alleged of him who has oft been heard to speak of faith and of works together—and who, after argumenting the utter worthlessness of the latter, has confined most rigidly to the former all of power and of efficacy that there is in the business of salvation? a. 1848, Thomas Chalmers, “Introductory Essay to a Treatise on the Faith and Influence of the Gospel. By the Rev. Archibald Hall.”, in Miscellanies; Embracing Reviews, Essays, and Addresses, New York, N.Y.: Robert Carter & Brothers,[…], published 1851, →OCLC, page 416
   Hence, domestic potato marketing cannot be argumented in such fashion. 1983, Gregory J. Scott, Marketing Bhutan’s Potatoes: Present Patterns and Future Prospects, Lima, Peru: International Potato Center, →OCLC, page 77
   It may be argumented that many elderly persons stay at home and do not even try to use a ticket machine. 1993, Andreas Gourmelon, “A Method to Analyse the Strain of Memory of Elderly Persons Working with Information Technologies”, in E. Ballabio, I. Placencia-Porrero, R. Puig de la Bellacasa, editors, Rehabilitation Technology: Strategies for the European Union:[…] (Technology and Informatics; 9), Amsterdam, Oxford, Oxfordshire: IOS Press, →ISSN, page 211
   This was first enunciated by Loiseau et al. (1967) when he argumented that RE 'does not exist' in clinical practice, referring to its pure, typical form. 1999, Bernd A. Neubauer, Ulrich Stephani, Hermann Doose, “The Genetics of Rolandic Epilepsy and Related Conditions: Multifactorial Inheritance with a Major Gene Effect”, in S[amuel] F[rank] Berkovic, P. Genton, E. Hirsch, F. Picard, editors, Genetics of Focal Epilepsies: Clinical Aspects and Molecular Biology (Current Problems in Epilepsy; 13), London: John Libbey & Company, →ISSN, part II (The Idiopathic Age-related Focal Epilepsies), page 57
   The settlement data do in fact not support the Dutch Model, and it is argumented that the ¹⁴C-evidence for the model is absent as well. 2012, Harry Fokkens, “Background to Dutch Beakers: A Critical Review of the Dutch Model”, in Harry Fokkens, Franco Nicolis, editors, Background to Beakers: Inquiries into Regional Cultural Backgrounds of the Bell Beaker Complex, Leiden: Sidestone Press, abstract, page 9
   Although it is argumented that organizational learning is based on individual learning (Song et al., 2008), the insights from this study are not generalizable for business-to-business markets. 2013, Daniel Gurski, “Conclusion”, in Customer Experiences Affect Customer Loyalty: An Empirical Investigation of the Starbucks Experience Using Structural Equation Modeling, Hamburg: Anchor Compact, Anchor Academic Publishing, page 45
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To adduce evidence, to provide proof.
   Albeit that it apperteneth to the apoſtolis, be the puiſtoun of God to tak ordour in all materis off debait cõcernyng ye faith, & ſpecialie to iterprete ye ſcripturis, as yat quhilkis had yͤ ſpreit of god, & wer yͤ trew kirk: It argumẽtis [argumentis] not yat vtheris, quha hes ꝯuenit [conuenit] ſenſyne in generale ꝯſales [consales] had the ſpreit of GOD, or wer the trew kirk: […] 1558, Quintine Kennedy [i.e., Quintin Kennedy], chapter 5, in Ane Compendius Tractiue Conforme to the Scripturis of Almychtie God, Ressoun, and Authoritie,[…], [Edinburgh: J. Scot], →OCLC, signature C.ii.