SOPH'ISM, noun [Latin sophisma.] A specious but fallacious argument; asubtilty in reasoning; an argument that is not supported by sound reasoning , or in which the inference is not justly deduced from the premises. When a false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then it is properly called a sophism or fallacy.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI