Definition

Noun: - The term in a syllogism that is the predicate of the conclusion: In formal logic, a syllogism is a three-part argument with two premises and a conclusion. The "major term" is the term that appears as the predicate (the part after "is" or "are") in the conclusion statement. It also appears in the first premise, known as the major premise.

Usage

The term "major term" is used exclusively in the context of classical Aristotelian logic to analyze the structure of categorical syllogisms. It identifies a specific component within the logical argument.

Examples

• In the syllogism "All humans are mortal. Socrates is a human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal," the word "mortal" is the major term. It is the predicate of the conclusion ("Socrates is mortal") and appears in the major premise ("All humans are mortal").
• To test the validity of a syllogism, one must check the distribution of the major term and the minor term.

Advanced Usage

• Rule of the Syllogism: A standard rule states that for a syllogism to be valid, the major term must not be distributed in the conclusion if it is not distributed in the major premise. Violating this rule is a formal fallacy.
• Identifying the Major Premise: The premise that contains the major term is, by definition, the major premise of the syllogism.

Variants and Related Words

• Minor Term (n): The term in a syllogism that is the subject of the conclusion.
• Middle Term (n): The term that appears in both premises but not in the conclusion.
• Syllogism (n): A form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions (premises).

Synonyms

• Predicate term (in the context of a syllogistic conclusion).

Related Phrases

• Distribution of a term: A concept in logic referring to whether a statement makes a claim about members of the class denoted by the term. The major term must be correctly distributed for a valid argument.
• Illicit major: A formal fallacy that occurs when the major term is distributed in the conclusion but not in the major premise.

Noun

1. the term in a syllogism that is the predicate of the conclusion