beg the question

Etymology
From, from.

Verb

 * 1)  To engage in the logical fallacy of begging the question (petitio principii).
 * 2) To sidestep or fail to address a question.
 * 3) * 1860,, letter, 6 May
 * However I hope we shall do better as we go on and as long as there's no dodging or begging the question on our side, I'm not afraid.
 * 1)  To raise or prompt a question.
 * 1)  To raise or prompt a question.

Usage notes

 * The first sense is not well understood except in specialized contexts, such as in academic and in legal argument. It is based on a sense of beg which is no longer common.  It was a poor translation of the original term and was an inadequate description of the fallacy.
 * The sense "sidestep or evade a question" is a simple development of the original sense that uses the expression to include any evasion rather than only one based on the logical fallacy.
 * The sense “raise a question, prompt a question” is more recent and has been proscribed by some commentators, but is now included without comment in some dictionaries. Others suggest that the phrase is hard to understand in any event, and should be avoided, using instead phrases such as “assume the conclusion” (for philosophical sense), "evade the question" for failure to address the question, and “raise the question” or “prompt the question” (for the last sense).

Translations

 * Finnish: olettaa johtopäätös todeksi, esittää kehäpäätelmä


 * Finnish: sivuuttaa kysymys


 * Finnish: herättää kysymys
 * German: zu der Frage drängen, die Frage hervorrufen