- periphrasis
- \ \ see PHRASE
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
periphrasis
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periphrasis — (n.) 1530s, from L. periphrasis circumlocution, from Gk. periphrasis, from periphrazein speak in a roundabout way, from peri round about (see PERI (Cf. peri )) + phrazein to express (see PHRASE (Cf. phrase) (n.)) … Etymology dictionary
Periphrasis — Pe*riph ra*sis, n.; pl. {Periphrases}. [L.] See {Periphrase}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Periphrasis — Periphrasis, griech., Periphrasie, Umschreibung; in der Rhetorik Figur, wobei man die Merkmale eines Gegenstandes anführt, ohne den Namen desselben zu nennen … Herders Conversations-Lexikon
periphrasis — index digression, indirection (indirect action) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
periphrasis — *verbiage, redundancy, tautology, pleonasm, circumlocution … New Dictionary of Synonyms
periphrasis — ► NOUN (pl. periphrases) ▪ the use of indirect and roundabout language; circumlocution. DERIVATIVES periphrastic adjective. ORIGIN from Greek peri around + phrazein declare … English terms dictionary
periphrasis — [per′i frāz΄pə rif′rə sis] n. pl. periphrases [pə rif′rəsēz΄] [L < Gr < peri , around + phrazein, to speak] 1. the use of many words where one or a few would do; roundabout way of speaking or writing; circumlocution 2. an expression that is … English World dictionary
Periphrasis — In linguistics, periphrasis is a device by which a grammatical category or relationship is expressed by a free morpheme (typically one or more function words modifying a content word), instead of being shown by inflection or derivation. For… … Wikipedia
periphrasis — /peuh rif reuh sis/, n., pl. periphrases / seez /. 1. the use of an unnecessarily long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution. 2. an expression phrased in such fashion. Also, periphrase /per euh frayz /. [1525 35; < L < Gk períphrasis.… … Universalium
periphrasis — UK [pəˈrɪfrəsɪs] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms periphrasis : singular periphrasis plural periphrases linguistics the practice of expressing something in a more complicated indirect way than is necessary, or something that is… … English dictionary
periphrasis — noun (plural periphrases) Etymology: Latin, from Greek, from periphrazein to express periphrastically, from peri + phrazein to point out Date: 1533 1. use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression 2. an instance of… … New Collegiate Dictionary
