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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

periphrasis en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs/ (Canada, UK, US)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis).

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".
    • Near-synonyms: circumlocution, loquaciousness
  2. (countable, uncountable) Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.
    • Native speakers use periphrases like "did not go" where a language learner might use "went not".
    • Language learners sometimes use periphrases like "did go" where a native speaker would use "went".
  3. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a type of circumlocution).
    • The "glen," or the "brake of the lion," is Pindar's favourite periphrasis for Nemea. 1879, F. D. Morice, Pindar, chapter 4, page 63:
    • Periphrasis a single thought expands, And uses many words for what but few demands. 1835, L[arret] Langley, “[Rhetorical Figures.] Periphrasis.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 37:
  4. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
periphrases Number=Plur lexicographic

Coordinates

paraphrasis

Hypernyms

wording · phrasing

Relateds

periphrastic · periphrase

Synonyms

circumlocution · loquaciousness

Translations (16)

ru перифра́за (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · kk бүкпе сөз (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · ru перифра́з (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · kk перифраза (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · fi perifraasi (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · sv perifras (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · gl perífrase (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · fr périphrase (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · ast perífrasis (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · el περίφραση (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · pl peryfraza (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · pt perífrase (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · ca perífrasi (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · it perifrasi (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · hu körülírás (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one) · es perífrasis (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)