motte

Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for motte.

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Editorial note

It's because people have discovered that (1) motte and bailey fallacies [0] and equivocation of language (between, e.g.

Examples13

Definitions4

Parts of speech1

Quick take

A surname.

Meaning at a glance

The clearest senses and uses of motte gathered in one view.

noun

A surname.

noun

A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch.

noun

An argument which is uncontroversial and easy to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

Definitions

Core meanings and parts of speech for motte.

noun

A surname.

noun

A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden or stone structure and surrounded with a ditch.

noun

An argument which is uncontroversial and easy to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

noun

Alternative form of mott. [(Texas) A copse or small grove of trees, especially live oak or elm.]

Example sentences

It's because people have discovered that (1) motte and bailey fallacies [0] and equivocation of language (between, e.g.

Directly stated: the problem I see is that term Capitalism is basically used as a Motte and Bailey.

I'm not sure I would call even that a motte-and-bailey, but at least it makes more sense than my original interpretation.

Finally, the attacking white males is basically a motte-and-bailey tactic [1] in which something very obviously wrong, and not defended by a majority of any group e.g.

That didn't quite mesh with the hedging/motte-and-bailey reference.

The reason it’s a motte and bailey is because you have a 100 slide deck implying your product can write the next great American novel—implying the bailey exists.

I suspect that this is a motte and bailey trick.

Quote examples

And if you complain, they'll motte-and-bailey you - you're not in favor of "harm", are you?

And this leads to the common trick of those "collaborators" you described, the "motte-and-bailey"[0]-like argument.

Nice link on the "Motte and Bailey" article.

The author has gone so far as to link to Motte-and-Bailey fallacy (doctrine?) [0], but after reading it I see no relation to "It's not X, it's Y"?

Proper noun examples

There is definitely something of a Motte-and-Bailey going on.

* This pattern matches to the Motte-and-Bailey rhetorical technique, ergo I am suspicious of people who try to tie genetics and IQ until they're clear they're not making a racially charged claim.