Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: French
Origin: polémique, from Greek polemikos 'liking to fight', from polemos 'war'

polemic

 noun
     
Related topics: Literature
po‧lem‧ic formal
1 [countable]AL a written or spoken statement that strongly criticizes or defends a particular idea, opinion, or person:
Before long, the dispute degenerated into fierce polemics.
2 [uncountable] also polemicsAL the practice or skill of making written or spoken statements that strongly criticize or defend a particular idea, opinion, or person
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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