Disputation
/ˌdɪspjuˈteɪʃən/noun
A formal argument or debate, especially one conducted according to rules.
Did you know?It comes from Latin disputare, originally meaning to 'reckon over' or 'settle accounts,' where putare meant to prune, trim, or calculate—so an argument began as a kind of mental accounting.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pau-
“to cut, strike, prune”
Latin
Latin
putare
“to prune, trim, reckon, consider”
Latin
Latin
disputare
“to discuss, argue, debate; originally to clear up or reckon over”
Old French
Old French
disputacion
“discussion, argument, debate”
Middle English
English
disputacioun
“formal debate or argument”
Modern English
English
disputation
“a formal argument or debate, especially one conducted according to rules”