Prima Facie

Thanks to The Republican War on Science, by my friend and fellow SciBling, Chris Mooney, I have found a word that takes on more forms in a sentence than any other I've shown to you so far. Chris's book was recently released in the more affordable and updated trade paperback. I am nearly finished with this book and will be reviewing it in the future, after I am sprung from the nuthouse. (I lack consistsent computer access right now necessary to do serious writing).

prima facie (PRAY-muh FEY-shee-ee, FEY-shee, FEY-shuh, PREE-) [Origin: Middle English, manifestly, from Latin prÄ«mÄ faciÄ : prÄ«mÄ, feminine ablative of prÄ«mus, first + faciÄ, ablative of faciÄs, shape, face)]

noun

1. at first appearance; at first view, before investigation.
2. plain or clear; self-evident; obvious.
3. At first sight; before closer inspection: They had, prima facie, a legitimate complaint.

adj

1. True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible: prima facie credibility.
2. Evident without proof or reasoning; obvious: a prima facie violation of the treaty.

adv

1. at first sight

Usage: The National Academy of Sciences did not find "any serious flaws" in the Seychelles study; industry funding certainly doesn't overturn any that assessment. As a general rule, we should never consider the funding source as a prima facie evidence of either its validity or otherwise.

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