argument

• From the absurd (establishing the validity of your argument by pointing out the absurdity of your opponent's position)

• For the sake of argument

• The final argument of kings

• The final argument of kings. (motto of Louis XIV on his cannon)

, secui, sectum

to cut, hurt, wound, amputate, divide, part.

to settle (as to settle an argument).

captĭo, ōnis, f. [capio].

Lit., a catching: pignoris, Gai Inst. 4, 12; 4, 29; cf. Gell. 7, 10, 3: odoris, Lact. Opif. Dei, 10.—

A seizing, apprehension:

domini,

Ambros. Ob. Valent. 35.—

Trop., a deceiving, deception, fraud, deceit, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 112; 5, 2, 36; id. Most. 5, 2, 23; id. Truc. 2, 7, 65:

si in parvulā re captionis aliquid vererere,

Cic. Quint. 16, 53:

incidere in captionem,

Dig. 4, 1, 1:

consilium multis captionibus suppositum,

ib. 4, 4, 1; Paul. Sent. 5, 33, 2.—

Esp. freq. in dialectics, a fallacious argument, a sophism:

omnes istius generis captiones eodem modo refelluntur,

Cic. Fat. 13, 30:

praestigiis quibusdam et captionibus depelli,

id. Ac. 2, 14, 45:

dialecticae,

id. Fin. 2, 6, 17:

captiones discutere,

id. Ac. 2, 15, 46:

metuere,

Plaut. As. 4, 1, 45:

induere se in captiones,

Cic. Div. 2, 17, 41:

in captione haerere,

Gell. 16, 2, 5:

explicare,

Cic. Div. 2, 17, 41; id. Brut. 53, 198; cf. id. ib. § 197; id. Att. 10, 15, 2.—

Meton. (causa pro effectu; cf.: fraudi esse), an injury, a disadvantage:

ne quid captioni mihi sit,

Plaut. Most. 3, 3, 19 Lorenz ad loc.:

mea captio est, si quidem ejus inopiā minus multa ad me scribis,

Cic. Att. 5, 4, 4; Dig. 29, 3, 7; 50, 17, 200.

circum-sto, stĕti, 1, v. n. and a. (the perf. and pluperf. having the same form with those of circumsisto, and a similar meaning, it is sometimes doubtful to which verb a form belongs), to stand around in a circle, to take a station round; and, with the acc., to stand around a person or thing, to surround, encircle, encompass.

Prop. (very freq. and class.).

Absol.: circumstant cum ardentibus taedis, Enn ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 51 Vahl.):

circumstant lacrimis rorantes ora genasque,

Lucr. 3, 469:

Morini spe praedae adducti circumsteterunt,

Caes. B. G. 4, 37:

circumstant properi aurigae,

Verg. A. 12, 85:

ad circumstantes tendens sua bracchia silvas, Ov M. 3, 441: circumstantis exercitūs gratia,

Curt. 9, 3, 15:

amici,

id. 3, 5, 9.—

With acc.:

aliquem,

Verg. G. 4, 216; Ov. M. 11, 505; Curt. 5, 12, 9:

equites Romani qui circumstant senatum,

Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 21:

sellam,

Liv. 8, 32, 14; Suet. Aug. 35:

solem,

Ov. M. 2, 394:

sacra,

id. ib. 2, 717:

lectum,

Curt. 10, 5, 2.—

Hence, circumstantes, ĭum, m. subst., the by-standers, Quint. 4, 2, 22; 4, 2, 127; Tac. A. 1, 21; 1, 22; Suet. Caes. 84; id. Aug. 93; Curt. 6, 10, 36.—

In partic., to surround in a hostile manner, to beset, besiege:

circumstare tribunal praetoris urbani, obsidere cum gladiis curiam, etc.,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32:

quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant,

Liv. 1, 25, 6:

si ambo consules infesti circumstarent tribunum,

id. 3, 9, 6:

urbem Romanam,

id. 27, 40, 6:

regis tecta,

Verg. A. 7, 585; cf. the foll.—

Trop., to surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of (freq. in post-Aug prose); absol. or with acc.:

cum dies et noctes omnia nos undique fata circumstent,

Cic. Phil. 10, 10, 20:

circumstant te summae auctoritates,

id. Verr. 1, 17, 52:

cum tanti undique terrores circumstarent,

Liv. 6, 2, 4; cf. id. 30, 3, 3:

anceps proelium Romanos circumsteterat, incertos in quem hostem eruptionem facerent,

id. 25, 34, 10:

ancepsque terror circumstabat,

id. 21, 28, 3; 34, 27, 1; Quint. 10, 3, 30:

haec me cura, haec difficultas sola circumstat,

Plin. Pan. 3, 4:

at me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror,

Verg. A. 2, 559:

scio acerba meorum Circumstare odia ( = meos, qui me oderunt),

id. ib. 10, 905:

circumsteterat Civilem et alius metus,

Tac. H. 4, 79:

circumsteterat palatium publica exspectatio,

id. ib. 1, 17:

paupertas et angustiae rerum nascentes eos circumsteterunt,

id. Or. 8.— Subst.: circumstantĭa, ium, n., details, circumstances, in an argument:

illa (argumenta) per se fortia non oportet circumstantibus obscurare,

Quint. 5, 12, 4.

circum-sto, stĕti, 1, v. n. and a. (the perf. and pluperf. having the same form with those of circumsisto, and a similar meaning, it is sometimes doubtful to which verb a form belongs), to stand around in a circle, to take a station round; and, with the acc., to stand around a person or thing, to surround, encircle, encompass.

Prop. (very freq. and class.).

Absol.: circumstant cum ardentibus taedis, Enn ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 28, 89 (Trag. v. 51 Vahl.):

circumstant lacrimis rorantes ora genasque,

Lucr. 3, 469:

Morini spe praedae adducti circumsteterunt,

Caes. B. G. 4, 37:

circumstant properi aurigae,

Verg. A. 12, 85:

ad circumstantes tendens sua bracchia silvas, Ov M. 3, 441: circumstantis exercitūs gratia,

Curt. 9, 3, 15:

amici,

id. 3, 5, 9.—

With acc.:

aliquem,

Verg. G. 4, 216; Ov. M. 11, 505; Curt. 5, 12, 9:

equites Romani qui circumstant senatum,

Cic. Cat. 1, 8, 21:

sellam,

Liv. 8, 32, 14; Suet. Aug. 35:

solem,

Ov. M. 2, 394:

sacra,

id. ib. 2, 717:

lectum,

Curt. 10, 5, 2.—

Hence, circumstantes, ĭum, m. subst., the by-standers, Quint. 4, 2, 22; 4, 2, 127; Tac. A. 1, 21; 1, 22; Suet. Caes. 84; id. Aug. 93; Curt. 6, 10, 36.—

In partic., to surround in a hostile manner, to beset, besiege:

circumstare tribunal praetoris urbani, obsidere cum gladiis curiam, etc.,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32:

quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant,

Liv. 1, 25, 6:

si ambo consules infesti circumstarent tribunum,

id. 3, 9, 6:

urbem Romanam,

id. 27, 40, 6:

regis tecta,

Verg. A. 7, 585; cf. the foll.—

Trop., to surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of (freq. in post-Aug prose); absol. or with acc.:

cum dies et noctes omnia nos undique fata circumstent,

Cic. Phil. 10, 10, 20:

circumstant te summae auctoritates,

id. Verr. 1, 17, 52:

cum tanti undique terrores circumstarent,

Liv. 6, 2, 4; cf. id. 30, 3, 3:

anceps proelium Romanos circumsteterat, incertos in quem hostem eruptionem facerent,

id. 25, 34, 10:

ancepsque terror circumstabat,

id. 21, 28, 3; 34, 27, 1; Quint. 10, 3, 30:

haec me cura, haec difficultas sola circumstat,

Plin. Pan. 3, 4:

at me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror,

Verg. A. 2, 559:

scio acerba meorum Circumstare odia ( = meos, qui me oderunt),

id. ib. 10, 905:

circumsteterat Civilem et alius metus,

Tac. H. 4, 79:

circumsteterat palatium publica exspectatio,

id. ib. 1, 17:

paupertas et angustiae rerum nascentes eos circumsteterunt,

id. Or. 8.— Subst.: circumstantĭa, ium, n., details, circumstances, in an argument:

illa (argumenta) per se fortia non oportet circumstantibus obscurare,

Quint. 5, 12, 4.

con-torquĕo, torsi, tortum (also -torsum, acc. to Prisc. 9, p. 871 P.), 2, v. a., to turn, twist, twirl, swing, whirl or brandish, etc. (class. in prose and poetry).

Lit.

Of weapons, arms, etc. (mostly poet.):

telum contortum validis viribus,

Lucr. 1, 971; cf.:

hastam viribus,

Ov. M. 5, 32:

lenta spicula lacertis,

Verg. A. 7, 165:

hastile adducto lacerto,

id. ib. 11, 561:

cuspidem lacerto,

Ov. M. 8, 345:

valido sceptrum lacerto,

id. ib. 5, 422:

(hastile) certo contorquens dirigit ictu,

Verg. A. 12, 490:

sed magnum stridens contorta phalarica venit,

id. ib. 9, 705:

hastam In latus, etc.,

id. ib. 2, 52; Quint. 9, 4, 8:

telum in eum,

Curt. 8, 14, 36.—

Of other objects:

gubernaclum quolibet,

Lucr. 4, 904; cf.:

membra quocumque volt,

Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120:

tantum corpus,

Lucr. 4, 900:

globum eā celeritate, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 1, 10, 24; id. Arat. 61: equum magnā vi, Poët. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 9:

amnis in alium cursum contortos et deflexos videmus,

Cic. Div. 1, 19, 38:

proram ad laevas undas,

Verg. A. 3, 562:

silvas insano vortice,

whirling them round in its raging whirlpool, id. G. 1, 481; cf.

64, 107:

frementes aquas subitis verticibus,

Luc. 4, 102 Weber; cf. id. 3, 631; Sil. 3, 50:

an omnis tempestas aeque mare illud contorqueat,

Sen. Ep. 79, 1 al.:

vertex est contorta in se aqua,

Quint. 8, 2, 7:

nubila fumo,

Sil. 4, 309.—

Trop. (mostly in Cic. and of rhet. matters;

the metaphor taken from missiles which are brandished, that they may be discharged with greater force): (auditor) tamquam machinatione aliquā tum ad severitatem, tum ad remissionem animi est contorquendus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72.—So of discourse that is thrown out violently or forcibly, hurled:

Demosthenis non tam vibrarent fulmina illa, nisi numeris contorta ferrentur,

Cic. Or. 70, 234; cf. Quint. 10, 7, 14:

quam rhetorice! quam copiose! quas sententias colligit! quae verba contorquet! ( = summā vi et impetu profert),

hurls forth, Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63; cf.:

longas periodos uno spiritu,

Plin. Ep. 5, 20, 4:

deinde contorquent et ita concludunt, etc.,

twist the argument, Cic. Div. 2, 51, 106.— Hence, contortus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to II.), of discourse.

Brandished, hurled, full of motion, powerful, vehement, energetic, strong (rare;

mostly in Cic.): contorta et acris oratio,

Cic. Or. 20, 66:

vis (orationis),

Quint. 10, 7, 14:

levibus mulcentur et contortis excitantur,

id. 9, 4, 116.—

Involved, intricate, obscure, perplexed, complicated:

contortae et difficiles res,

Cic. de Or. 1, 58, 250: contorta et aculeata quaedam sophismata, id. Ac. 2, 24, 75.— Adv.: con-tortē (acc. to II.), intricately, perplexedly:

dicere,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 29; Auct. Her. 1, 9, 15. —

* Comp.:

concluduntur a Stoicis,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.— Sup. not in use.