[_russross]

In English, meaning is defined by common usage. I know the formal logic hipsters have mounted a persistent campaign to make an exception here, but the fact remains that "begging the question" means exactly what ordinary people think it means.

[knorker]

I've spoken and written English for over three decades, and this is the first time I've seen "begging the question" be used to mean this.

It's usually meant as "raises the question", but language lawyers insist it means what the wiki page said.

But this is neither of those two. And if you're the only one who uses a phrase a certain way, and it means other things to everyone else, then that's actually wrong, even in a descriptive language.

[handrous]

This is one of the cases for which, when writing for a broad audience, it's best to avoid the phrase in question, in either of its senses—precisely to avoid confusion or distraction like what's happening in this thread, with the common definition, and to avoid confusing the uninitiated with its more "correct", but jargony, sense—but also to accept the common meaning in others' language without complaint (ahem).

[gxs]

While I agree with you in principle, I think it’s more than permissible to make this distinction on this forum given the audience, IMO, even if the person who made the comment admittedly lacked tact in their approach.