entry
logic
/ˈlɑːdʒɪk/Study of valid reasoning and sound inference
From Greek logos (word).
from Ancient Greek λογική (logikḗ, “logic”)
from Latin logica
Word Ancestry
from Ancient Greek λογική (logikḗ, “logic”)
from Latin logica
Picture an ancient Greek trying to separate a genuinely good argument from verbal fog: the key word was λόγος (lógos), which could mean a word, a speech, a rational explanation, or reason itself. That wonderfully crowded meaning produced λογικός, “pertaining to reasoning,” and eventually λογική, the “reasoning art.” By the 13th century, the term was circulating as Old French logique before Middle English writers adopted logike and logik; it displaced native expressions such as Old English flitcræft, literally “the art of arguing.” The word’s family still leaves fingerprints everywhere: a dialogue is a speech between people, a monologue is speech by one, and a syllogism is a carefully linked chain of reasoning. So logic is, at heart, the ancient Greek art of making words behave like evidence rather than smoke.
The Story
Picture an ancient Greek trying to separate a genuinely good argument from verbal fog: the key word was λόγος (lógos), which could mean a word, a speech, a rational explanation, or reason itself. That wonderfully crowded meaning produced λογικός, “pertaining to reasoning,” and eventually λογική, the “reasoning art.” By the 13th century, the term was circulating as Old French logique before Middle English writers adopted logike and logik; it displaced native expressions such as Old English flitcræft, literally “the art of arguing.” The word’s family still leaves fingerprints everywhere: a dialogue is a speech between people, a monologue is speech by one, and a syllogism is a carefully linked chain of reasoning. So logic is, at heart, the ancient Greek art of making words behave like evidence rather than smoke.
Modern Usage
A stage name used by the American rapper Logic
Popularized by: Logic, the American rapper born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II
Notable References
- Logic's albums Under Pressure and Everybody
- Urban Dictionary entries identifying Logic as a rapper
Kin & Kindred
From 'logos'·word, speech, reason, or rational account
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary