syllogism: Meaning and Definition of

syl•lo•gism

1. an argument the conclusion of which is supported by two premises, of which onecontains the termthat is the predicate of the conclusion, and the othercontains the termthat is the subject of the conclusion; common to both premises is a termthat is excluded from the conclusion. A typical form is “All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is C.”
2. deductive reasoning.
3. an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument.