Non sequitur

 WORD OF THE DAY

non sequitur / noun / NAHN-SEK-wuh-ter

Definition

1a: an inference that does not follow from the premises

1b: a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent 

2: a statement (such as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

Examples

"[Norm Macdonald] was always open about how much he worshipped David Letterman…. His impersonation of his idol on SNL … was sharp enough to turn some of Letterman's verbal quirks and repeated non sequiturs ('Ehh....got any gum?') into a spot-on impression." 

— Rolling Stone, 15 Sept. 2021

The resultant traces oof smoke seem non sequitur as the distillery eschews the use of peat.

—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2021

Did You Know?

In Latin, non sequitur means "it does not follow." 

The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. 

For them, it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. 

But we now use non sequitur for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue.