/ pəˈlemɪk; NAmE / noun ( formal )
1.
[ C ] a speech or a piece of writing that argues very strongly for or against sth/sb
2.
[ U ] (also po·lem·ics [ pl. ]) the practice or skill of arguing strongly for or against sth/sb :
Her speech was memorable for its polemic rather than its substance.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek polemikos , from polemos war.