The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Argument \Ar"gu*ment\, n. [F. argument, L. argumentum, fr.
   arguere to argue.]
   1. Proof; evidence. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            There is.. no more palpable and convincing argument
            of the existence of a Deity.          --Ray.
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            Why, then, is it made a badge of wit and an argument
            of parts for a man to commence atheist, and to cast
            off all belief of providence, all awe and reverence
            for religion?                         --South.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A reason or reasons offered in proof, to induce belief, or
      convince the mind; reasoning expressed in words; as, an
      argument about, concerning, or regarding a proposition,
      for or in favor of it, or against it.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A process of reasoning, or a controversy made up of
      rational proofs; argumentation; discussion; disputation.
      [1913 Webster]

            The argument is about things, but names. --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic
      representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or
      summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem.
      [1913 Webster]

            You and love are still my argument.   --Shak.
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            The abstract or argument of the piece. --Jeffrey.
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            [Shields] with boastful argument portrayed.
                                                  --Milton.
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   5. Matter for question; business in hand. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Sheathed their swords for lack of argument. --Shak.
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   6. (Astron.) The quantity on which another quantity in a
      table depends; as, the altitude is the argument of the
      refraction.
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   7. (Math.) The independent variable upon whose value that of
      a function depends. --Brande & C.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Argument \Ar"gu*ment\ ([a^]r"g[-u]*ment), v. i. [L.
   argumentari.]
   To make an argument; to argue. [Obs.] --Gower.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

argument
    n 1: a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is
         true; "it was a strong argument that his hypothesis was
         true" [syn: argument, statement]
    2: a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong
       disagreement; "they were involved in a violent argument"
       [syn: controversy, contention, contestation,
       disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument, arguing]
    3: a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against
       some proposition or proposal; "the argument over foreign aid
       goes on and on" [syn: argument, argumentation, debate]
    4: a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play
       or movie; "the editor added the argument to the poem" [syn:
       argument, literary argument]
    5: (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a
       function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program [syn:
       argument, parameter]
    6: a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose
       value determines the dependent variable; if f(x)=y, x is the
       independent variable
    7: a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or
       falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning; "I
       can't follow your line of reasoning" [syn: argumentation,
       logical argument, argument, line of reasoning, line]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

243 Moby Thesaurus words for "argument":
   Kilkenny cats, action, addend, affray, altercation, anagnorisis,
   angle, answer, antilogarithm, apologetics, apologia, apology,
   architectonics, architecture, argumentation, argumentum, assertion,
   atmosphere, background, barney, base, basis, bicker, bickering,
   binomial, blood feud, brawl, broil, case, casuistry,
   cat-and-dog life, catastrophe, characteristic, characterization,
   claim, coefficient, color, combat, combination, complement,
   complication, conflict, congruence, cons, consideration, constant,
   contention, contentiousness, contest, contestation, continuity,
   contrivance, controversy, cosine, cotangent, counterstatement,
   cube, cut and thrust, debate, decimal, defence, defense, demurrer,
   denial, denominator, denouement, derivative, design, determinant,
   development, device, difference, differential, disagreement,
   discriminate, disputation, dispute, dissension, dividend, divisor,
   donnybrook, donnybrook fair, e, elenchus, embroilment, enmity,
   episode, equation, evidence, exception, exponent, exponential,
   fable, factor, falling action, falling-out, feud, fight, fighting,
   fliting, flyting, formula, foundation, fracas, fray, function,
   fuss, gimmick, ground, hassle, head, hostility, hubbub, hurrah, i,
   ignoratio elenchi, imbroglio, incident, increment, index, integral,
   line, litigation, local color, logic, logomachy, matrix, matter,
   minuend, mood, motif, motive, movement, multiple, multiplier,
   mythos, norm, numerator, objection, open quarrel, paper war,
   parameter, passage of arms, peripeteia, permutation, pi, plaidoyer,
   plan, plea, pleading, pleadings, plot, point, polemic, polemics,
   polynomial, position, posture, power, proof, proposition, pros,
   pros and cons, quarrel, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, quaternion,
   quotient, radical, radix, reason, rebuttal, reciprocal,
   recognition, refutation, remainder, reply, response, rhubarb,
   riposte, rising action, root, row, rumpus, scheme, scrap,
   scrapping, secant, secondary plot, set-to, sharp words, sine,
   slanging match, slant, snarl, spat, special demurrer,
   special pleading, squabble, squabbling, stance, standpoint,
   statement, statement of defense, story, strife, structure,
   struggle, subject, subject matter, submultiple, subplot,
   subtrahend, summation, summing up, switch, talking point, tangent,
   tensor, testimony, text, thematic development, theme, thesis, tiff,
   tone, topic, tussle, twist, variable, vector, vendetta,
   verbal engagement, versine, war, war of words, warfare, wherefore,
   why, whyfor, words, wrangle, wrangling



The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

argument
arg

    (Or "arg") A value or reference passed to a
   function, procedure, subroutine, command or program, by
   the caller.  For example, in the function definition

   	square(x) = x * x

   x is the formal argument or "parameter", and in the call

   	y = square(3+4)

   3+4 is the actual argument.  This will execute the function
   square with x having the value 7 and return the result 49.

   There are many different conventions for passing arguments to
   functions and procedures including call-by-value,
   call-by-name, call-by-reference, call-by-need.  These
   affect whether the value of the argument is computed by the
   caller or the callee (the function) and whether the callee can
   modify the value of the argument as seen by the caller (if it
   is a variable).

   Arguments to functions are usually, following mathematical
   notation, written in parentheses after the function name,
   separated by commas (but see curried function).  Arguments
   to a program are usually given after the command name,
   separated by spaces, e.g.:

   	cat myfile yourfile hisfile

   Here "cat" is the command and "myfile", "yourfile", and
   "hisfile" are the arguments.

   (2006-05-27)


Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

ARGUMENT, practice. Cicero defines it ii probable reason proposed in order
to induce belief. Ratio probabilis et idonea ad faciendam fidem. The
logicians define it more scientifically to be a means, which by its
connexion between two extremes) establishes a relation between them. This
subject belongs rather to rhetoric and logic than to law.