tautology /tôˈtäləjē/ I. noun 1. the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g., they arrived one after the other in succession). 2. a phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in different words. 3. [Logic] a statement that is true by necessity or by virtue of its logical form. II. derivatives 1. tautological /ˌtôdlˈäjək(ə)l / adjective 2. tautologically /ˌtôdlˈäjək(ə)lē / adverb 3. tautologist /-jist / noun 4. tautologize /tôˈtäləˌjīz / verb 5. tautologous /-ɡəs / adjective – origin mid 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek, from tautologos ‘repeating what has been said,’ from tauto- ‘same’ + -logos (see -logy).
