fallax

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fallax (deceptive).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfæləks/

Noun

fallax (plural fallaxes)

  1. (obsolete) cavillation; petty criticism
    • a. 1556, Thomas Cranmer, An Answer to a Crafty and Sophistical Cavillation devised by Stephen Gadiner:
      First, after the sum of my fourth book, collected as pleaseth you, at the first dash you begin with an untrue report, joined to a subtle deceit or fallax, saying that my chief purpose that evil men receive not the body and blood of Christ in the sacrament.

References

fallax”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Latin

Etymology

From fallō (I deceive) + -āx (inclined to).

Pronunciation

Adjective

fallāx (genitive fallācis, comparative fallācior, superlative fallācissimus, adverb fallāciter); third-declension one-termination adjective

  1. deceptive, deceitful
    • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.26.28:
      Lingua fallāx nōn amat vēritātem: et ōs lūbricum operātur ruīnās. [adjective]
      • 1752 translation by Douay-Rheims, Challoner rev.
        A deceitful tongue loveth not truth: and a slippery mouth worketh ruin.
  2. fallacious, spurious

Declension

Third-declension one-termination adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
Nominative fallāx fallācēs fallācia
Genitive fallācis fallācium
Dative fallācī fallācibus
Accusative fallācem fallāx fallācēs fallācia
Ablative fallācī fallācibus
Vocative fallāx fallācēs fallācia

Descendants

  • Catalan: fal·laç
  • Galician: falaz
  • Italian: fallace
  • Portuguese: falaz
  • Spanish: falaz
  • English: fallacy

References

  • fallax”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • fallax”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • fallax in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • a fallacious argument; sophism: conclusiuncula fallax or captio
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