tautology

tau·tol·o·gy

noun \tȯ-ˈtä-lə-jē\

plural tau·tol·o·gies

Definition of TAUTOLOGY

1

a : needless repetition of an idea, statement, or word

b : an instance of tautology

2

: a tautologous statement

Examples of TAUTOLOGY

1. “A beginner who has just started” is a tautology.

Origin of TAUTOLOGY

Late Latin tautologia, from Greek, from tautologos

First Known Use: 1574

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

Rhymes with TAUTOLOGY

andrology, anthology, apology, astrology, biology, bryology, cetology, Christology, chronology, conchology, cosmology, cryptology, cytology, dendrology, doxology, ecology, enology, ethnology, ethology, fetology, garbology, gemology, geology, graphology, haplology, histology, homology, horology, hydrology, hymnology, Indology, limnology, lithology, mixology, morphology, mycology, myology, mythology, necrology, nephrology, neurology, nosology, oncology, ontology, oology, pathology, pedology, penology, petrology, phlebology, phonology, phrenology, phycology, proctology, psychology, scatology, seismology, serology, sexology, sinology, symbology, technology, tetralogy, theology, topology, trichology, typology, ufology, urology, virology, zoology

tautology

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In logic, a statement that cannot be denied without inconsistency. Thus, “All bachelors are either male or not male” is held to assert, with regard to anything whatsoever that is a bachelor, that it is male or it is not male. In the propositional calculus, even complicated symbolic expressions such as [(A B) (C ¬ B)] (C ¬ A) can be shown to be tautologies by displaying in a truth table every possible combination of T (true) and F (false) of its arguments A, B, C. A tautology can be purely formal (a statement form rather than a statement), and in some usages only such formal truths are tautologies.