sorites

English

Etymology

From the Latin sōrītēs, from the Ancient Greek σωρείτης (sōreítēs, “fallacy of the heap”), from σωρός (sōrós, “heap”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səˈɹaɪtiːz/

Noun

sorites (plural sorites)

1. (logic, rhetoric) A series of propositions whereby each conclusion is taken as the subject of the next.
   • 1760, Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Penguin, published 2003, page 130:

     Why?—he would ask, making use of the sorites or syllogism of Zeno and Chrysippus without knowing it belonged to them.—Why? why are we a ruined people?—Because we are corrupted.——Whence is it, dear Sir, that we are corrupted?—Because we are needy [...] ——And wherefore, he would add,—are we needy?——From the neglect, he would answer

Derived terms

• destructive sorites
• Goclenian sorites
• sorites paradox

See also

• syllogism

Anagrams

• sorties, stories, Sorties, rossite, trioses, oisters, rosiest, restios, roestis

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σωρείτης (sōreítēs, “fallacy of the heap”), from σωρός (sōrós, “heap”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /soːˈriː.teːs/, [s̠oːˈriːt̪eːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /soˈri.tes/, [soˈriːt̪es]

Noun

sōrītēs m (genitive sōrītae); first declension

1. sorites; a logical sophism formed by an accumulation of arguments

Declension

First-declension noun (masculine Greek-type with nominative singular in -ēs).

	singular	plural
nominative	sōrītēs	sōrītae
genitive	sōrītae	sōrītārum
dative	sōrītae	sōrītīs
accusative	sōrītēn	sōrītās
ablative	sōrītē	sōrītīs
vocative	sōrītē	sōrītae

Descendants

• English: sorites

References

• “sorites”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sorites”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• sorites in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.