sophistry

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The actions or arguments of a sophist.

   Such conduct is at any rate not sophistical, if Aristotle be right in describing sophistry as the art of making money.

2. 2
   noun

   An argument that seems plausible, but is fallacious or misleading, especially one devised deliberately to be so.

   And so he reasoned until the first generous impulse to proclaim the truth and relinquish his titles and his estates to their rightful owner was forgotten beneath the mass of sophistries which self-interest had advanced.

From Middle English safistre, soffistre, sofystry, sophestrie, sophestry, sophestrye, sophistre, sophistri, sophistrie, sophistry, sophistrye, sophystrye, from Old French sofisterie, sophistrie and Medieval Latin sophistria, Anglo-Latin sophestria, from Latin sophista, from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise man”), from σοφίζω (sophízō, “to be wise”), from σοφός (sophós, “wise”), equivalent to sophist + -ry.

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