Logic. The question (usually only implied) involved in a syllogism, of which the conclusion is the solution. Now historical.

A statement or fact advanced for the purpose of influencing the mind; a reason urged in support of a proposition; spec. in Logic, the middle term…

A deceptive or misleading argument, a sophism; an instance of unsound or defective reasoning. In Logic esp. a flaw, material or formal, which renders…