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  1. a fortiori love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. For a still stronger reason; all the more.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. For a still stronger reason; all the more. A phrase used in, and sometimes employed as the designation of, a kind of argument, which concludes either that something does not take place, because the causes which alone could bring it to pass operate still more strongly in another case without producing that effect; or that something does take place, because causes much weaker than those which operate to bring it about are effective in another case. An argument of the latter kind is the following: “If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Mat. vi. 30.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. With stronger or greater reason; as a corollary implied by a stronger claim.
  2. adv. With stronger or greater reason; as a corollary implied by a stronger claim.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. (Logic & Math.) With stronger reason.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. with greater reason; for a still stronger, more certain reason

Etymologies

  1. From Latin ā ("from") and fortiōrī, comparative of fortis ("strength"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin : ā, ab, from + fortiōrī, ablative of fortior, stronger. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “On the contrary it helps to emphasize this truth, for the same relation of dependence upon a self-existing cause which is implied in the contingency of any single being is implied a fortiori in the existence of an infinite series of such beings, supposing such a series to be possible.”

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI

  • “The Biblical Commission (15 Feb., 1909) has decreed the historicity of the primitive narrative of Gen., i-iii; a fortiori it will not tolerate that a Catholic deny the historicity of Josue.”

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 8: Infamy-Lapparent

  • “Since the impressions of sense leave lasting traces on the bodily which is subject to decay, — a fortiori the universal must, in some way, be stored up in the passive intellect, which is a spiritual faculty, permanent as the soul itself (I, Q., lxxix, a, 6-7).”

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman

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  1. philosophy
  1. latin

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  • jmjarmstrong JM for no reason at all reckons a fortiori Nov 12, 2010

  • qroqqa A mediaeval alteration of Classical a fortiore. Jun 3, 2009

  • soden An A fortiori argument is one that "denotes a proof of a claim by means of an already proved stronger claim." Feb 28, 2009

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‘a fortiori’ has been looked up 2282 times, loved by 2 people, added to 22 lists, commented on 3 times, and is not a valid Scrabble word.