elenctic

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐλεγκτικός (elenktikós, “refutative”)

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɨˈlɛŋktɪk/
  • (US) IPA(key): /əˈlɛŋk.tɪk/

Adjective

elenctic (comparative more elenctic, superlative most elenctic)

  1. Serving to refute, refutative, especially as part of a systematic interrogation; pertaining to rhetorical elenchus or cross-examination.
    • 1941, Vladimir Nabokov, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Penguin 1971 edition, page 101:
      ‘What lady?’ he asked in the elenctic tones of Lewis Carroll's caterpillar.
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