THE FIRST WORD

sophist

PRONUNCIATION:

(SOF-ist) 

MEANING:

noun: One who makes clever, but unsound arguments.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin sophista, from Greek sophistes (sage), from sophos (clever). Earliest documented use: 1542. In ancient Greece, Sophists were philosophers and teachers known for their subtle, but fallacious reasoning.

USAGE:

"But this day Mansoor had turned five, and Ma used a sophist's argument to call for a celebration."
M.G. Vassanji; The Assassin's Song; Doubleday; 2007.