Etymograph

English

elenchus

Elenchus comes from Latin elenchus ‘refutation’, from Ancient Greek ἐλέγχω ‘to disgrace, put to shame’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʰ- ‘to accuse, to scold’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁lengʰ-‘to accuse, to scold’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐλέγχω‘to disgrace, put to shame’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἔλεγχοςélenkhos‘refutation, scrutiny, control’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEelenchus‘refutation’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1991same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁lengʰ-‘to accuse, to scold’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐλέγχω‘to disgrace, put to shame’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἔλεγχοςélenkhos‘refutation, scrutiny, control’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEelenchus‘refutation’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1991same form

Earliest quotation: 1991, Thomas c. Brickhouse, Socrates’ Elenctic Mission: “The elenchus begins when an interlocutor makes some moral…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʰ-

Today it means

noun A technique of argument associated with Socrates wherein the arguer asks the interlocutor to agree with a series of premises and conclusions, ending with the arguer's intended point.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʰ- / elenchus

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