• (RP) IPA: /ˈɑːɡjʊmənt/
• (America) IPA: /ˈɑɹɡjʊmənt/, /-ɡju-/, /-ɡjə-/

From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman - and Old French arguement, from Latin argūmentum, from arguere + -mentum.

Displaced native Old English racu and ġeflit.

argument

1. (countable, also, figuratively) A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:argument

   • 1691, John Ray, “Psalm 104. 24. How Manifold are thy Works O Lord? In Wisdom hast thou made them all.”, in The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. […], London: […] Samuel Smith, […], →OCLC ↗, pages 11–12 ↗:

     There is no greater, at leaſt no more palpable and convincing Argument of the Exiſtence of a Deity than the admirable Art and Wiſdom that diſcovers itſelf in the make and conſtitution, the order and diſpoſition, the ends and uſes of all the parts and members of this ſtately fabrick of Heaven and Earth.

   • 1851 November 13, Herman Melville, “Stubb’s Supper”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC ↗, pages 446–447 ↗:

     Says Plowdon [i.e., Edmund Plowden], the whale so caught belongs to the King and Queen, “because of its superior excellence.” And by the soundest commentators this has ever been held a cogent argument in such matters.

   1. (logic, philosophy) A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
2. (countable) A process of reasoning; argumentation.
   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC ↗; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress as Originally Published by John Bunyan: Being a Fac-simile Reproduction of the First Edition, London: Elliot Stock […], 1875, →OCLC ↗, page 84 ↗:

     Indeed, I cannot commend my life; for I am conſcious to my ſelf of many failings: therein, I know alſo that a man by his converſation, may ſoon overthrow what by argument or perſwaſion he doth labour to faſten upon others for their good: […]

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Of the Remedies of the foregoing Imperfections and Abuses”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC ↗, book III, § 6, page 252 ↗:

     For if the Idea be not agreed on, betwixt the Speaker and Hearer, for which the Words ſtand, the Argument is not about Things, but Names.

   • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter I, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume II, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC ↗, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=emu.010001278702;view=1up;seq=154 page 146]:

     I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences of my consent; but I felt that there was some justice in his argument.

3. (countable) An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figuratively) the contents themselves.
   • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene ii], page 84 ↗, column 2:

     If I would broach the veſſels of my loue, / And try the argument of hearts, by borrowing, / Men, and mens fortunes, could I frankely vſe / As I can bid thee ſpeake.

4. (countable) A verbal dispute; a quarrel.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:dispute

   The neighbours got into an argument about the branches of the trees that extended over the fence.

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC ↗; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i] ↗:

     Ar[mado]. Come hither, come hither: How did this argument begin.
     Boy. By ſaying that a Coſtard was broken in a ſhin,
     Then cald you for the Lenuoy [i.e. l'envoy].
     Clow[ne; i.e., Costard]. True, and I for a Plantan, thus came your argument in,
     Then the boyes fat Lenuoy, the Gooſe that you bought, and he ended the market.

   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain'd. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC ↗, page 56 ↗, lines 904–905:

     In argument with men a woman ever / Goes by the worſe, whatever be her cauſe.

5. (by extension, jocular or euphemistic) Any dispute, altercation, or collision.

   Steve got in a physical argument with his neighbor and came away with a black eye.

   While biking home, he got in an argument with the pavement.

6. (countable, linguistics) Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
7. (countable, mathematics)
   1. The independent variable of a function.
   2. The phase of a complex number.
   3. (also, astronomy) A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.

      The altitude is the argument of the refraction.

8. (countable, programming)
   1. A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.

      Synonyms: actual argument, passed parameter

      Parameters are like labelled fillable blanks used to define a function whereas arguments are passed to a function when calling it, filling in those blanks.

   2. A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
9. (countable, obsolete)
   1. A matter in question; a business in hand.
      • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene i] ↗:

        As neere as I could ſift him on that argument,
        On ſome apparent danger ſeene in him,
        Aimde at your highnes, no inueterate malice.

      • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i], page 77 ↗, column 2:

        On, on, you Nobliſh Engliſh, / Whoſe blood is fet from Fathers of Warre-proofe: / Fathers, that like ſo many Alexanders, / Haue in theſe parts from Morne till Euen fought, / And ſheath’d their Swords, for lack of argument.

   2. The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.
      • 1570, Margaret Ascham, “To the Honorable Sir William Cecill Knight, Principall Secretarie to the Quenes Most Excellent Maiestie ↗”, in Roger Ascham, edited by Margaret Ascham, The Scholemaster: Or Plaine and Perfite Way of Teaching Children, to Vnderstand, Write, and Speake, the Latin Tong, […], London: […] John Daye, […], →OCLC ↗:

        [I]n vttering the ſtuffe ye receiued of the one, in declaring the order ye tooke with the other, ye ſhall neuer lacke, neither matter, nor maner, what to write, nor how to write in this kinde of Argument.

      • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene ii] ↗:

        Belike this ſhow imports the argument of the play.

        This show is perhaps the subject of the play.

      • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 76”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […]‎, London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC ↗:

        O know ſweet loue I alwaies write of you,
        And you and loue are ſtill my argument: […]

      • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI ↗”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗, lines 81–86:

        [N]earer view / Briſtl'd with upright beams innumerable / Of rigid Spears, and Helmets throng'd, and Shields / Various, with boaſtful Argument portraid, / The banded Powers of Satan haſting on / With furious expedition; […]

10. (uncountable, archaic) Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.
    • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene iii] ↗:

      [F]or louing me, by my troth it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her follie, for I will be horribly in loue with her, […]

• arguable
• arguably
• argue
• arguendo

• arguer
• argufier
• argufy
• arguing (noun)
• argumentator
• argumentum

• French: argument
• German: Argument
• Italian: argomento
• Portuguese: argumento
• Russian: обоснова́ние
• Spanish: argumento

• French: querelle
• German: Diskussion, Streit, Streitgespräch
• Italian: discussione, lite
• Portuguese: discussão
• Russian: спор
• Spanish: discusión, bronca, riña, pelea

• French: argumentation
• German: Argumentation
• Italian: argomentazione
• Portuguese: argumentação
• Russian: аргуме́нт
• Spanish: argumentación

• German: Argument, Funktionsargument, x-Wert
• Portuguese: argumento
• Russian: аргуме́нт
• Spanish: variable dependiente, argumento

• French: argument
• German: Argument
• Italian: argomento
• Portuguese: argumento
• Russian: аргуме́нт

• German: Thema
• Spanish: argumento

The obsolete senses are derived from Middle English argumenten, from Old French argumenter, from Latin argūmentārī, the present active infinitive of argūmentor, from argūmentum (see further at etymology 1) + -or (the first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō).

The current sense is derived from the noun.

argument (arguments, present participle argumenting; simple past and past participle argumented)

1. (intransitive, obsolete, now, nonstandard, NNES) To put forward as an argument; to argue.
   • 1607, Edward Topsell, “Of the Elephant”, in The Historie of Fovre-footed Beastes. […], London: […] William Iaggard, →OCLC ↗, page 194 ↗:

     [I]t is moſt certaine, that after Herodotus and other auncient writers, it is ſafer to call theſe [elephants' tusks] teeth, then hornes; and I will breefly ſet downe the reaſons of Philoſtratus, that will haue them to be teeth, and afterward of Grapaldus [i.e., Francesco Mario Grapaldi], Aelianus, and Pauſanias, that would make them horns, and ſo leaue the reader to conſider whether opinion he thinketh moſt agreeable to truth. […] Thus they argument for the horns of Elephants.

   • 1869, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XIX, in The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. […], →OCLC ↗, page 190 ↗:

     Here, in Milan, is an ancient tumble-down ruin of a church, is the mournful wreck of the most celebrated painting in the world—"The Last Supper," by Leonardo da Vinci. […] And the first thing that occurred was the infliction on us of a placard fairly reeking with wretched English. […] And then Peter is described as "argumenting in a threatening and angrily condition at Judas Iscariot."

2. (intransitive, obsolete) To adduce evidence, to provide proof.