dilemma

Forms

dilēmma n (genitive dilēmmatis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma, “double proposition”),^[1][2][3] a compound of δι- (di-, “two”) and λῆμμα (lêmma, “premise, something taken”),^[1][4] from the root of λαμβάνω (lambánō, “to take”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Late Latin, in Jerome and Servius.^[5][6] Jerome, in his reply to Rufinus, calls his opponent's charge a true dilemma, produced not by the art of dialectic but in the torturer's workshop: “if I keep silent, I shall be guilty; if I reply, abusive”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Servius, in his commentary on the Aeneid, defines the dilemma as an argument that is very strong on both sides and shuts the opponent in;^[5] the TLL gives complexio and cornutus syllogismus as its synonyms.^[5] Georges describes it as a form of reasoning that seizes the opponent from two sides, so that he must yield to one of two propositions.^[7]

Medieval British writers used it both for a dilemma in general and as a term of logic.^[8] English took it from Late Latin in the 1520s as a term of rhetoric, and by the 1580s used it loosely for a choice between two undesirable alternatives.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it against Rufinus.^[5][6][2]
• c. 400 AD – Servius defines it in his commentary on Virgil.^[5][3][2]
• Middle Ages – British writers use it for a dilemma and as a term of logic.^[8]
• 1520s – English borrows it as dilemma.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (logic) A double proposition, an argument that traps an opponent between two alternatives.^[3][5][7]
2. (Medieval Latin) A dilemma, a difficult choice between two alternatives.^[8]

Related words

• English dilemma

Usage notes

Lewis and Short and Gaffiot mark the first vowel short (dĭlēmma in Gaffiot), while Conte marks it long (dīlemma).^[3][9][6] Wiktionary lists dilēmmātus as a related word.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
9. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.