hysteron proteron en · NOUN
Etymology
From Ancient Greek, from ὕστερον (hústeron, “latter, arriving late”) + πρότερον (próteron, “former, before”).
Meanings
-
(rhetoric) A figure of speech in which a phrase that should come last is put first; hysterology.
"He is well and lives" is a hysteron proteron.
- An inversion or reversal of the natural order of things.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hysteron proterons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |