petitio principii
/pɪˈtɪʃiˌəʊ prɪnˈkɪpiˌaɪ/
"petitio-principii" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“petitio principii” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 17
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The logical fallacy of begging the question (i.e., "assuming the conclusion").
Corpus desk
Index EN-petitio-principii · petitio principii · English
petitio principii · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 17 letters
- VOW-8 8 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | petitio principii |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɪˈtɪʃiˌəʊ prɪnˈkɪpiˌaɪ/ |
| Letters | 17 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “petitio principii” in English
Rare enough to double-check
petitio principii is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɪˈtɪʃiˌəʊ prɪnˈkɪpiˌaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for petitio principii, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin petītiō prīncipiī (literally “an assumption from the beginning”), calque of Ancient Greek τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ αἰτεῖσθαι (tò en arkhēî aiteîsthai, “to assume from the beginning”). The correct English form is petitio principii, spelled P-E-T-I-T-I-O- -P-R-I-N-C-I-P-I-I.
Definition
- 1The logical fallacy of begging the question (i.e., "assuming the conclusion").
- 2A particular argument which commits the fallacy of begging the question; a circular argument.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how petitio principii appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
A somewhat similar objection has been made by Locke and others, to the effect that the ordinary demonstrative syllogism is a petitio principii.
The Streitberg-Michels Theory is evidently a petitio principii. To explain ē in gēbum, it is from the outset taken for granted, for inadequate reasons of method, that the form must be a perfect. [italics original]
Etymology
From Latin petītiō prīncipiī (literally “an assumption from the beginning”), calque of Ancient Greek τὸ ἐν ἀρχῇ αἰτεῖσθαι (tò en arkhēî aiteîsthai, “to assume from the beginning”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.