emphasis

emphasis
\ \ [16] In Greek, émphasis originally meant simply ‘appearance’. It was a derivative of emphaíneinexhibit, indicate’, a compound verb formed from the prefix en- ‘in’ and phaíneinshow’ (source of English phase). It came to be used as a grammatical term denoting ‘implication’ (as opposed to ‘directly expressed meaning’) and passed in this sense via Latin emphasis into English. Its main modern use, ‘special importance placed on something’, derives from the stressing of a particular word or phrase in speech to show that it is intended to imply something other than its literal meaning might seem to suggest.
\ \ Cf.PHASE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • emphasis — emphasis, stress, accent, accentuation denote exerted force by which one thing stands out conspicuously among other things; they also often designate the effect produced or the means used in gaining this effect. Emphasis implies effort to bring… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • emphasis — em pha*sis ([e^]m f[.a]*s[i^]s), n.; pl. {Emphases} ([e^]m f[.a]*s[=e]z). [L., fr. Gr. e mfasis significance, force of expression, fr. emfai nein to show in, indicate; en in + fai nein to show. See {In}, and {Phase}.] 1. (Rhet.) A particular… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Emphasis — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Emphasis Información personal Origen Castellón, España …   Wikipedia Español

  • Emphasis — Thomas R. Kobayashi mieux connu sous le nom d Emphasis est un compositeur franco japonais de musique électronique. Né à Tokyo et vécu à Paris, il sera inspiré par ces différentes cultures dans sa musique. Il a passé son adolescence au lycée… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • emphasis — I noun accent, accentuation, affirmation, attention, concentration, consequence, consideration, distinction, distinctness, eminence, emphasis, energy, exclamation, force, force of expression, force of voice, forcibleness, highlight, ictus,… …   Law dictionary

  • emphasis — 1570s, from L. emphasis, from Gk. emphasis significance, indirect meaning, from emphainein to present, show, indicate, from en in (see EN (Cf. en ) (2)) + phainein to show (see PHANTASM (Cf. phantasm)). In Greek and Latin, it developed a sense of …   Etymology dictionary

  • emphasis — [em′fə sis] n. pl. emphases [em′fəsēz΄] [L < Gr emphasis, an appearing in, outward appearance < emphainein, to indicate < en , in + phainein, to show < IE base * bha , to shine > OE bonian, to polish] 1. force of expression,… …   English World dictionary

  • Emphasis — Emphasis, griech., in der Rhetorik der Nachdruck der Rede, namentlich durch Betonung; emphatisch, nachdrucksvoll …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • emphasis — [n] importance, prominence accent, accentuation, attention, decidedness, force, headline, highlight, impressiveness, insistence, intensity, moment, positiveness, power, preeminence, priority, significance, strength, stress, underlining,… …   New thesaurus

  • emphasis — ► NOUN (pl. emphases) 1) special importance, value, or prominence given to something. 2) stress laid on a word or words in speaking. ORIGIN Greek, originally in the sense appearance, show , later denoting a figure of speech in which more is… …   English terms dictionary

  • emphasis — noun 1 special importance/attention ADJECTIVE ▪ big (informal), considerable, great, heavy, huge ▪ schools that put a heavy emphasis on sporting achievement ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

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