amphiboly

[ am-fib-uh-lee ]

noun

, plural am·phib·o·lies.

1. ambiguity of speech, especially from uncertainty of the grammatical construction rather than of the meaning of the words, as in The Duke yet lives that Henry shall depose.

Word History and Origins

Origin of amphiboly¹

1580–90; < Latin amphibolia < Greek. See amphibolous, -y ³

Example Sentences

Here is the flaw in my thinking, courtesy of a kindly scholar of argument: “Logically, your position relies on a fallacy of amphiboly that confuses two different uses of the term ‘two.’ 

From Salon

If it oracle contrary to our interest or humor, we will create an amphiboly, a double meaning where there is none.

From Project Gutenberg

For this reason, the exposition of the cause of the amphiboly of these conceptions, as the origin of these false principles, is of great utility in determining with certainty the proper limits of the understanding.

From Project Gutenberg