sorites
/səˈɹaɪtiːz/
sorites noun: a series of propositions whereby each conclusion is taken as the subject of the next. Also the plural of sorite.
Noun
sorites (plural sorites)
- A series of propositions whereby each conclusion is taken as the subject of the next.
- Why?—he would ask, making use of the sorites or syllogism of Zeno and Chrysippus without knowing it belonged to them.—Why? why are we a ruined people?—Because we are corrupted.——Whence is it, dear Sir, that we are corrupted?—Because we are needy […] ——And wherefore, he would add,—are we...1760, Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Penguin, published 2003, page 130
- Electrons are quite as elusive as ghosts; we are only aware of them as the conclusion to a colossal sorites.1917, Aleister Crowley, Moonchild, Weiser, published 2010, page 217
Also used as
sorites is also the plural of sorite.
Forms of sorites
| plural | sorites |
|---|
Origin of sorites
From the Latin sōrītēs, from the Ancient Greek σωρῑ́της (sōrī́tēs, “fallacy of the heap”), from σωρός (sōrós, “heap”).
Words formed from sorites
- destructive sorites
- Goclenian sorites
- sorites paradox
Phrases with sorites
Questions about sorites
- What does sorites mean?
- Sorites means a series of propositions whereby each conclusion is taken as the subject of the next.
- What part of speech is sorites?
- Sorites is a noun.
- How do you pronounce sorites?
- Sorites is pronounced /səˈɹaɪtiːz/.
- What is the plural of sorites?
- The plural of sorites is sorites.
Words near sorites in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sorites (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “sorites.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sorites. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.