Tautology

Tautology
Tautology Tau*tol"o*gy, n. [L. tautologia, Gr. ?: cf. F. tautologie.] (Rhet.) A repetition of the same meaning in different words; needless repetition of an idea in different words or phrases; a representation of anything as the cause, condition, or consequence of itself, as in the following lines:

The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings on the day. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Repetition.

Usage: {Tautology}, {Repetition}. There may be frequent repetitions (as in legal instruments) which are warranted either by necessity or convenience; but tautology is always a fault, being a sameness of expression which adds nothing to the sense or the sound. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Synonyms:
(of the same idea in different words), , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tautology — may refer to: Tautology (rhetoric), using different words to say the same thing even if the repetition does not provide clarity. Tautology also means a series of self reinforcing statements that cannot be disproved because the statements depend… …   Wikipedia

  • tautology — is the repetition of the same idea or meaning in a phrase or sentence, as in a free gift (all gifts are free), a new innovation, and to return again. Some tautologies are contained within a small group of words such as a noun phrase (e.g. future… …   Modern English usage

  • tautology — I noun battology, duplication, loquacity, pleonasm, profuseness, redundancy, repetition, superfluousness, surfeit, verbiage, verbosity II index redundancy Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • tautology — (n.) 1570s, from L.L. tautologia representation of the same thing (c.350), from Gk. tautologia, from tautologos repeating what has been said, from tauto the same + logos saying, related to legein to say (see LECTURE (Cf. lecture) (n.)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • tautology — *verbiage, redundancy, pleonasm, circumlocution, periphrasis …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • tautology — ► NOUN (pl. tautologies) ▪ the saying of the same thing over again in different words, considered as a fault of style (e.g. they arrived one after the other in succession). DERIVATIVES tautological adjective tautologous adjective. ORIGIN from… …   English terms dictionary

  • tautology — [tô täl′ə jē] n. pl. tautologies [LL tautologia < Gr: see TAUTO & LOGY] 1. a) needless repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence; redundancy; pleonasm (Ex.: “necessary essentials”) b) an instance of such repetition 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • tautology — tautological /tawt l oj i keuhl/, tautologic, tautologous /taw tol euh geuhs/, adj. tautologically, tautologously, adv. tautologist, n. /taw tol euh jee/, n., pl. tautologies. 1. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in wo …   Universalium

  • tautology — noun /tɔˈtɒl.ə.dʒi/ a) redundant use of words It is tautology to say, Forward Planning . b) An expression that features tautology. The expression raze to the ground is a tautology, since the word raze includes the notion to the ground . Ant …   Wiktionary

  • tautology — Technically, a formula of the propositional calculus that is true whatever the truth value assigned to its constituent propositional variables. (A tautology is thus valid, or true in all interpretations .) In more informal contexts a tautology is …   Philosophy dictionary

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