# logic

Pronunciation: US say "LAH-jik" /ˈlɑ.d͡ʒɪk/; say "LO-jik" UK /ˈlɒd͡ʒ.ɪk/, AUS /ˈlɔd͡ʒ.ɪk/

## Noun

1. A way of human thinking that works through a problem in a linear, step-by-step manner, forming the basis of methods such as the scientific method.
   - Simple: Step-by-step thinking that works through a problem one clear stage at a time.
   - _She walked us through her logic, moving from one premise to the next._
   - _Good scientific work rests on logic as much as on careful observation._
2. The study of what makes reasoning sound: the principles and standards by which an inference or proof is judged valid.
   - Simple: The study of correct reasoning, and how to tell good arguments from bad ones.
   - _Aristotle's work laid the foundations of formal logic._
   - _Students of logic learn to test whether a conclusion really follows from its premises._
3. A system of thought, sound or not, especially one associated with a particular person.
   - Simple: A particular person's way of thinking, whether it makes sense or not.
   - _There was a certain twisted logic to the dictator's every move._
   - _She explained the logic that guided all of her business choices._
4. The branch of mathematics that studies rigorous proof and the relationships among precisely defined concepts.
   - Simple: The branch of math that studies proofs and how clearly defined ideas connect.
   - _Modern logic underpins much of the foundations of mathematics._
   - _Logic provides the rules by which one statement can be proved from others._
5. Any system that combines a language of any kind with rules of deduction or with a semantics based on model theory.
   - Simple: A language plus a set of rules for working out what follows from what.
   - _First-order logic is the logic most widely used in mathematics._
   - _Researchers designed a new logic to reason about time and change._
6. The electronic part of a system that carries out boolean operations, made up of logic gates or circuits.
   - Simple: The parts inside a machine that handle simple true-or-false operations.
   - _The processor's logic handles millions of boolean operations each second._
   - _A fault in the logic caused the circuit to give the wrong signal._
7. A system of thought or body of rhetoric, especially one tied to a particular social practice.
   - Simple: A set of ideas and arguments tied to a way people act in society.
   - _Sociologists describe the logic of consumer culture that drives constant buying._
   - _Each institution develops a logic that members rarely stop to question._

## Verb

8. To apply careful, logical reasoning to a problem or question.
   - Simple: To think carefully about something using clear, step-by-step reasoning.
   - _Don't just logic the decision; consider how people feel too._
   - _She logicked the schedule until every conflict disappeared._
9. To defeat or win over someone by means of logical argument.
   - Simple: To win an argument with someone by using clear reasons.
   - _He tried to logic the committee into approving the budget._
   - _No one could logic her out of a belief she held so firmly._
10. To apply logic to an excessive or inappropriate degree.
   - Simple: To use logic too much or in the wrong way.
   - _Some people logic endlessly, picking apart feelings that simply need to be felt._
   - _He logicked over the trivial choice until the moment to act had passed._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) logical

## Origin

From Middle English logik, from Old French logike and Latin logica, from Ancient Greek logikē ("logic"), the feminine of logikós ("pertaining to speech, reason, or reasoning"), from lógos ("speech, reason"). It displaced the native Old English flitcræft, literally "art of arguing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/logic (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).