OK guys,
I appreciate all of your input.
It appears the word I was looking for is indeed "Pleonasm" however, dictionary.com
list Tautology as:
1. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”
And it list Pleonasm as:
1. the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy. 2. an instance of this, as
free gift or
true fact.
Notice the contradictions:
- widow woman (pleonasm)
- free gift (pleonasm)
- true fact (pleonasm)
The above all appear to be pleonasm.
According to BobK earlier definition from answers.com statements such as:
- "She will either have a boy or a girl".
- "This candidate will either will or will not win."
appears to be tautology.
Fascinating!
