REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM


Meaning of REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM in English

Pronunciation: ri- ' d ə k-t ē - ˌ ō - ˌ ad- ə b- ' s ə r-d ə m, - ' d ə k-s ē - ō -, -sh ē -, - ' z ə r-

Function: noun

Etymology: Late Latin, literally, reduction to the absurd

Date: 1741

1 : disproof of a proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion

2 : the carrying of something to an absurd extreme

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.