Argument
In logic and philosophy, an argument is a series of statements (in a natural language), called the premises or premisses (both spellings are acceptable), intended to determine the degree of truth of another statement, the conclusion. The logical form of an argument in a natural language can be represented in a symbolic formal language, and independently of natural language formally defined “arguments” can be made in math and computer science.
Logic is the study of the forms of reasoning in arguments and the development of standards and criteria to evaluate arguments. Deductive arguments can be valid or sound: in a valid argument, premisses necessitate the conclusion, even if one or more of the premisses is false and the conclusion is false; in a sound argument, true premisses necessitate a true conclusion. Inductive arguments, by contrast, can have different degrees of logical strength: the stronger or more cogent the argument, the greater the probability that the conclusion is true, the weaker the argument, the lesser that probability. The standards for evaluating non-deductive arguments may rest on different or additional criteria than truth—for example, the persuasiveness of so-called “indispensability claims” in transcendental arguments, the quality of hypotheses in retroduction, or even the disclosure of new possibilities for thinking and acting.
Argument (noun)
A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
Argument (noun)
A verbal dispute; a quarrel.
Argument (noun)
A process of reasoning.
Argument (noun)
A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
Argument (noun)
The independent variable of a function.
Argument (noun)
The phase of a complex number.
Argument (noun)
A value, or reference to a value, passed to a function.
“Parameters are like labeled fillable blanks used to define a function whereas arguments are passed to a function when calling it, filling in those blanks.”
Argument (noun)
A parameter in a function definition; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
Argument (noun)
Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
Argument (noun)
The quantity on which another quantity in a table depends.
“The altitude is the argument of the refraction.”
Argument (noun)
The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem.
Argument (noun)
Matter for question; business in hand.
Argument (verb)
To put forward as an argument; to argue.
Row (noun)
A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden etc.
Row (noun)
A line of entries in a table, etc., going from left to right, as opposed to a column going from top to bottom.
“column”
Row (noun)
An act or instance of rowing.
“I went for an early-morning row.”
Row (noun)
An exercise performed with a pulling motion of the arms towards the back.
Row (noun)
A noisy argument.
“argument|disturbance|fight|fracas|quarrel|shouting match|slanging match”
Row (noun)
A continual loud noise.
“Who’s making that row?”
“din|racket”
Row (verb)
To propel (a boat or other craft) over water using oars.
Row (verb)
To transport in a boat propelled with oars.
“to row the captain ashore in his barge”
Row (verb)
To be moved by oars.
“The boat rows easily.”
Row (verb)
to argue noisily
“argue|fight”
Argument (noun)
an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one
“there was some argument about the decision”
“I’ve had an argument with my father”
“heated arguments over public spending”
Argument (noun)
a reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action or theory
“he rejected the argument that keeping the facility would be costly”
“there is a strong argument for submitting a formal appeal”
Argument (noun)
an independent variable associated with a function or proposition and determining its value. For example, in the expression y = F(x₁, x₂), the arguments of the function F are x₁ and x₂, and the value is y.
Argument (noun)
another term for amplitude (sense 4)
Argument (noun)
any of the noun phrases in a clause that are related directly to the verb, typically the subject, direct object, and indirect object.
Argument (noun)
a summary of the subject matter of a book.