What is an enthymeme?

An enthymeme is an informally stated syllogism with an unstated assumption that must be true for the premises to lead to the conclusion.

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In an enthymeme, part of the argument is missing because it is assumed.

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It is sometimes used to describe an incomplete argument of forms other than the syllogism.

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*Enthymemes allow the speaker both to avoid boring listeners with long chains of speech, appealing to the audience's common sense without removing any of the logical content within the argument*

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There are three main orders of enthymemes:

• A first-order enthymeme suppresses the   major    premise .  
• A second-order enthymeme suppresses the  minor  premise.  
• A third-order enthymeme suppresses the conclusion. ​