What does epicheirema mean?
An epicheirema is a syllogism that carries its own support: one or both of its premises is accompanied by an additional proof or justification, so that argument and evidence travel together in a single structure. The term belongs primarily to classical, medieval, and academic logic, where it describes a fully worked-out form of reasoning rather than a compressed or elliptical one. Its name reflects this function literally — from Greek roots meaning roughly 'a hand laid upon' the syllogism, as if steadying or reinforcing it. In practice, the word appears mainly in textbooks on logic and rhetoric, in discussions of Aristotelian reasoning, and in scholarly commentary; ordinary conversation and journalism rarely call for it. Writers who do use it typically contrast the epicheirema with the enthymeme, which suppresses a premise rather than defending one. Though obscure, it offers a precise label for the everyday move of backing up a claim within the very sentence that makes it.
nounA syllogism in which one or both of the premises is supported by an additional proof or justification; in effect, a syllogism 'with a hand laid upon' it. It is chiefly a term of classical and scholastic logic.
- In logic: a syllogism in which one or both premises are accompanied by their own supporting justification or proof.
"The debator strengthened his argument into a full epicheirema by attaching evidence directly to the major premise."
"Rather than assert his major premise baldly, he turned the argument into an epicheirema by appending its supporting reasons."
"Medieval logicians treated the epicheirema as a legitimate way to compress proof and conclusion into a single chain of reasoning."
Both plurals are attested; the anglicized 'epicheiremas' is more natural in modern prose, while 'epicheiremata' suits Latinate academic style.
"The textbook illustrated several epicheiremata drawn from Aristotelian logic."
The Greeks pictured an epicheirema as a syllogism with a helping hand laid on it — its very name comes from the Greek word for 'hand'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of epicheirema
Epicheirema derives from ancient Greek, combining the prefix epi- ('upon') with cheirema, a derivative of cheir ('hand'), so that the word literally suggests a hand laid upon the syllogism to support it. It was adopted into Latin as a term of logic and passed into English scholarly usage through the tradition of Aristotelian and scholastic logic. The same Greek root cheir gives us modern words such as chiropractic, chirography, and chiral.
How epicheirema is actually used
A rare technical term confined almost entirely to logic, rhetoric, and histories of philosophy; it will be unfamiliar to most general readers. The plural is either epicheiremas (anglicized) or epicheiremata (Latinate/Greek style).
Easily confused with epicheirema
An enthymeme is a syllogism with a premise left unstated or suppressed, whereas an epicheirema is a syllogism with a supporting proof added to a premise.