Soph"ist*er (?), n. 1. A sophist. See Sophist. [Obs.] Hooker.
2. (Eng. Univ.) A student who is advanced beyond the first year of his
residence.
The entire course at the university consists of three years and one
term, during which the students have the titles of first- year men, or
freshmen; second-year men or junior sophs or sophisters; third-year
men, or senior sophs or sophisters; and, in the last term,
questionists, with reference to the approaching examination. In the
older American colleges, the junior and senior classes were originally
called, and in some of them are still called, junior sophisters and
senior sophisters.
Soph"ist*er (?), v. t. To maintain by sophistry, or by a fallacious
argument. [Obs.] obham.
{ So*phis"tic (?), So*phis"tic*al }, a. [L. sophisticus, Gr. &?;: cf.
F. sophistique.] Of or pertaining to a sophist; embodying sophistry;
fallaciously subtile; not sound.
His argument . . . is altogether sophistical.
Macaulay.
-- So*phis"tic*al*ly, adv. -- So*phis"tic*al*ness, n.
So*phis"ti*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sophisticated (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Sophisticating.] [LL. sophisticatus, p. p. of sophisticare to
sophisticate.] To render worthless by admixture; to adulterate; to
damage; to pervert; as, to sophisticate wine. Howell.
To sophisticate the understanding.
Southey.
Yet Butler professes to stick to plain facts, not to sophisticate,
not to refine.