t. _dis-_, distributive, and _latus_, wide), a
widening or enlarging; a term used in physiology, &c.

DILATORY (from Lat. _dilatus_, from _differre_, to put off or delay),
delaying, or slow; in law a "dilatory plea" is one made merely for
delaying the suit.

DILEMMA (Gr. [Greek: dilemma], a double proposition, from [Greek: di-]
and [Greek: lambanein]), a term used technically in logic, and popularly
in common parlance and rhetoric. (1) The latter use has no exact
definition, but in general it describes a situation wherein from either
of two (or more) possible alternatives an unsatisfactory conclusion
results. The alternatives are called the "horns" of the dilemma. Thus a
nation which has to choose between bankruptcy and the repudiation of its
debts is on the horns of a dilemma. (2) In logic there is considerable
divergence of opinion as to the best definition. Whately defined it as
"a conditional syllogism with two or more antecedents in the major and a
disjunctive minor." Aulus Gellius gives an example as follows:--"Women
are either fair or ugly; if you marry a fair woman, she will attract
other men; if an ugly woman she will not please you; therefore marriage
is absurd." From either alternative, an unpleasant result follows. Four
kinds of dilemma are admitted:--(a) _Simple Constructive_: If A, then C;
if B, then C, but either B or A; therefore C. (b) _Simple Destructive_:
If A is true, B is true; if A is true, C is true; B and C are not both
true; therefore A is not true. (c) _Complex Constructive_: If A, then B;
if C, then D; but either A or C; therefore either B or D. (d) _Complex
Destructive_: If A is true, B is true; if C is true, D is true; but B
and D are not both true; hence A and C are not both true. The soundness
of the dilemmatic argument in general depends on the alternative
possibilities. Unless the alternatives produced exhaust the
possibilities of the case, the conclusion is invalid. The logical form
of the argument makes it especially valuable in public speaking, before
uncritical audiences. It is, in fact, important rather as a rhetorical
subtlety than as a serious argument.

_Dilemmist_ is also a term used to translate _Vaibhashikas_, the name of
a Buddhist school of philosophy.

DILETTANTE, an Italian word for one who delights in the fine arts,
especially in music and painting, so a lover of the fine arts in
general. The Ital. _dilettare_ is from Lat. _delectare_, to delight.
Pr