# ignotum per ignotius

> English word · Phrase

## Definitions
1. An attempt to explain something obscure in terms of something else which is even more obscure.
2. A type of fallacious argument in which one attempts to prove something unknown by relying upon an assumption that is also unknown.

## Etymology
From Latin ignōtum per ignōtius, “[to explain] the unknown by the more unknown”.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ignotum-per-ignotius