| tautology |
| Definition: Repeating what has already been said. Note: This is usually considered a fault of either style or reasoning. |
| Example: The free gift that they were giving away was quite a new innovation. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Late Latin tautologia, representation of the same thing. It ultimately derives from the Greek tauto, the same + logos, saying. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The term's first OED citation is from 1579: "It is a foolish tautologie, for you sayed the same immediately before." (Fulke Confut. Sanders 644) |