contradictione

Contradictione is the ablative singular form of the Latin noun contradictio, meaning a contradiction. In classical and medieval Latin, this form appears in fixed phrases rather than as a modern technical term. The root contradictio comes from contra (against) and dicere (to speak), reflecting the idea of speaking against or opposing statements.

In philosophical and logical usage, contradictione occurs within phrases that express how contradictions function within arguments. One well-known Latin construction is ex contradictione sequitur quidquid, usually rendered in English as “from a contradiction, anything follows,” which is a formulation of the principle of explosion. Other variants include ex contradictione quodlibet or similar expressions, all of which use the ablative form contradictione to denote the source or consequence of a contradiction.

Today, contradictione mainly appears in Latin texts, commentaries, or translations rather than as a standalone modern term. It is encountered in discussions of logic, rhetoric, and scholastic philosophy where Latin phrases are quoted to illustrate principles about consistency, inference, and the consequences of inconsistent premises. The broader concept of contradiction itself remains central to logic, with related ideas such as the law of non-contradiction, reductio ad absurdum, and formal proofs of consistency.

In summary, contradictione is a grammatical form used in Latin to denote a contradiction within phrases addressing logical and argumentative structure. It reflects the historical use of Latin to express foundational ideas in logic, while in contemporary discourse the term is mostly encountered in textual or scholarly contexts.