Dictionary

anacoluthon en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ænəkəˈluːθɒn/

Etymology

From Late Latin anacolūthon, from Ancient Greek ἀνακόλουθον (anakólouthon, “without sequence, anomalous [of inflections or grammatical constructions]”), from ἀ(ν)- (a(n)-, “un-”) + ἀκόλουθος (akólouthos, “following”). Compare English non sequitur, from an analogous Latin phrase, denoting a different but related concept.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A sentence or clause that is grammatically inconsistent, especially with respect to the type of clausal or phrasal complement for the initial clause.
   • Another species of anacoluthon is when, after the sentence is begun with a participle, the construction passes over into a finite verb, where we should naturally expect the participial construction to be continued. 1835, Moses Stuart, A Treatise on the Syntax of the New Testament Dialect: With an Appendix, Containing a Dissertation on the Greek Article, Edinburgh: T. Clarke, →OCLC, page 249:
2. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) Intentional use of such a structure.
   • Anacoluthon, though a grammatical defect, is a rhetorical beauty, if naturally produced or imitated; as, "If thou art he—but oh! how fallen!" 1874, James Boyd, Elements of English Composition, Grammatical, Rhetorical, Logical, and Practical; Prepared for Academies and Schools, New York: A.S. Barnes, →OCLC, page 281:

Forms

Deriveds

anacoluthic · anacoluthistic

Hyponyms

nominativus pendens · anapodoton

Relateds

non sequitur

Translations (14)

pl anakolut (intentional rhetorical structure) · la anacolūthon (intentional rhetorical structure) · de Anakoluth (intentional rhetorical structure) · ru анаколу́ф (intentional rhetorical structure) · grc ἀνακόλουθον (intentional rhetorical structure) · ca anacolut (intentional rhetorical structure) · fr anacoluthe (intentional rhetorical structure) · it anacoluto (intentional rhetorical structure) · fi anakoluutti (intentional rhetorical structure) · de Satzbruch (intentional rhetorical structure) · es anacoluto (intentional rhetorical structure) · el ανακόλουθο (intentional rhetorical structure) · nl anakoloet (intentional rhetorical structure) · pt anacoluto (intentional rhetorical structure)