Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A construction in which a form, such as a pronoun, differs in number but agrees in meaning with the word governing it, as in If the group becomes too large, we can split them in two.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In grammar and rhetoric, construction according to the sense, in violation of strict syntax.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Gram.) A construction in which adherence to some element in the sense causes a departure from strict syntax, as in “Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto
them .”
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Philosopher says that things connected with prudence "seem to be natural," namely "synesis, gnome" [* _synesis_ and _gnome_, Cf. I-II,
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Aristotle says (Ethic. vi, 9, 10, 11) that "good counsel," "synesis" and
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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The incontinent man so fails because he has failed to cultivate the appropriate virtues that would enable him to size up the situation correctly (synesis) and deliberate well about it
Medieval Theories of Conscience Langston, Douglas 2006
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Objection 1: It would seem that _synesis_ is not a virtue.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Secondly indirectly, through the good disposition of the appetitive power, the result being that one judges well of the objects of appetite: and thus a good judgment of virtue results from the habits of moral virtue; but this judgment is about the ends, whereas _synesis_ is rather about the means.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Hence it is necessary to judge of such matters according to higher principles than the common laws, according to which _synesis_ judges: and corresponding to such higher principles it is necessary to have a higher virtue of judgment, which is called _gnome, _ and which denotes a certain discrimination in judgment.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Objection 1: It would seem that _gnome_ is not a special virtue distinct from _synesis.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Therefore _synesis_ extends to all matters of judgment, and consequently there is no other virtue of good judgment called _gnome.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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_I answer that, _ _synesis_ signifies a right judgment, not indeed about speculative matters, but about particular practical matters, about which also is prudence.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
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Therefore, just as "eubulia" which refers to counsel, is connected with prudence, and "synesis" and "gnome" which refer to judgment, so also ought something to have been assigned corresponding to use.
Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Aquinas Thomas
mialuthien commented on the word synesis
See constructio ad sensum.
July 23, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word synesis
As, for example, in the phrase "My family are all coming home for Thanksgiving." See the Wikipedia entry for a full description.
November 29, 2009
Telofy commented on the word synesis
Yeah, I was always explaining this (to myself) as a feature of collective nouns in BrE—one I somewhat miss in AmE. Thanks for the new term. :-)
November 29, 2009
qms commented on the word synesis
It's one of those British caprices
To see not the whole but the pieces.
"The team are," they will say
In their innocent way,
Unaware they're committing synesis.
March 15, 2014
qms commented on the word synesis
It is odd that all the usage examples at this entry are from works of medieval moral theology (all but one from the "Summa"), where synesis denotes something different from its rhetorical meaning, which is the only meaning defined. No explanation of Aquinas' use of the term is given.
March 15, 2014