false dichotomy

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English

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Etymology

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A diagram of a type of inflorescence (a cluster of flowers) called a dichasium. Dichasia exhibit false dichotomy (sense 1).

From false +‎ dichotomy.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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false dichotomy (plural false dichotomies)

  1. (botany) A branching in which the main axis appears to divide dichotomously at the apex but is in reality suppressed, the growth being continued by lateral branches (as in the dichasium).
  2. (rhetoric) A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available.
    Synonyms: fallacy of the excluded middle, false dilemma

Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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