Argumental

Argumental is an English adjective used to describe something related to an argument or the nature of arguments. The term can refer to the content and structure of reasoning, the act of arguing, or the linguistic roles that arguments play in a proposition. In philosophical and logical contexts, argumental concerns include the relationship between premises and conclusions, the assessment of validity and soundness, and the strength of an inference.

Etymology and usage history indicate that argumental derives from Latin argumentum “proof, argument,” via Old or Middle French, with the customary English suffix -al to form an adjective. The word is relatively uncommon in contemporary technical writing, where more specific terms such as argument, argumentation, or argumentative are typically preferred.

In linguistics and semantics, the term is sometimes used to describe elements that function as arguments of a predicate. In this sense, an argumental element is a required participant in the event described by a verb or relation, as opposed to adjuncts, which are optional modifiers. This usage aligns with the broader idea that certain linguistic items are governed by the predicate’s argument structure.

In rhetoric and general discourse, argumental considerations pertain to how premises support a conclusion, the logical form of an assertion, and the persuasiveness of an argument. Because its usage is specialized and occasionally archaic, researchers and writers often replace it with more precise terms such as argument, argument structure, or argumentation when clarity is a priority.