Word of the Day

: November 25, 2017

non sequitur

noun NAHN-SEK-wuh-ter

What It Means

1 : an inference that does not follow from the premises

2 : a statement (such as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

non sequitur in Context

Unprepared for the question, the speaker gave a response that was a jumble of non sequiturs and irrelevant observations.

"Chicago scored well on 'digital security,' because, as the report notes, 'the city is home to several leading cyber security firms and in January its mayor … announced the launch of a new cyber security training initiative.' This non sequitur is like saying that New Jersey is the healthiest state because it is home to so many pharmaceutical companies." — Nicole Gelinas, City Journal, 20 Oct. 2017

Did You Know?

In Latin, non sequitur means "it does not follow." The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. For them it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. But we now use non sequitur for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue. The Latin verb sequi ("to follow") has actually led the way for a number of English words. A sequel follows the original novel, film, or television show. Someone obsequious follows another about, flattering and fawning. And an action is often followed by its consequence.