Sorites
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A series of propositions whereby each conclusion is taken as the subject of the next. rhetoric
"Why?—he would ask, making use of the sorites or syllogism of Zeno and Chrysippus without knowing it belonged to them.—Why? why are we a ruined people?—Because we are corrupted.——Whence is it, dear Sir, that we are corrupted?—Because we are needy […] ——And wherefore, he would add,—are we needy?——From the neglect, he would answer"
- 2 plural of sorite form-of, plural
Example
More examples"Why?—he would ask, making use of the sorites or syllogism of Zeno and Chrysippus without knowing it belonged to them.—Why? why are we a ruined people?—Because we are corrupted.——Whence is it, dear Sir, that we are corrupted?—Because we are needy […] ——And wherefore, he would add,—are we needy?——From the neglect, he would answer"
Etymology
From the Latin sōrītēs, from the Ancient Greek σωρῑ́της (sōrī́tēs, “fallacy of the heap”), from σωρός (sōrós, “heap”).
Related phrases
More for "sorites"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.