Main Entry: ar·gu·ment

Pronunciation: \ˈär-gyə-mənt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin argumentum, from arguere

Date: 14th century

1 obsolete : an outward sign : indication
2 a : a reason given in proof or rebuttal b : discourse intended to persuade
3 a : the act or process of arguing : argumentation b : a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion c : quarrel, disagreement
4 : an abstract or summary especially of a literary work <an argument preceded the poem>
5 : the subject matter especially of a literary work
6 a : one of the independent variables upon whose value that of a function depends b : a substantive (as the direct object of a transitive verb) that is required by a predicate in grammar c : amplitude 4