noun, feminine/la.pa.li.sad/plural: lapalissades
lapalissade, truism, tautology
Synonyms: vérité de La Palice, vérité de La Palisse, truisme, tautologie
Related: lapalissadement
From the name of Jacques de la Palice (a French nobleman and military officer, died in the Battle of Pavia, 1525) + -ade. His epitaph reads ci gît Monſieur de la Palice: s'il n'était pas mort, il ferait encore envie (“here lies the lord of La Palice: if he weren't dead, he would still be envied”). However, due to the similarity between the letters ⟨f⟩ and ⟨ſ⟩ (long s), it was misread (accidentally or intentionally) as the truism s'il n'était pas mort, il serait encore en vie (“if he weren't dead