hysteron proteron
hysteron proteron · hysteron proterons
A figure of speech in which a phrase that should come last is put firstA figure of speech in which a phrase that should come last is put first; hysterology.
Meaning
2 senses(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.
reversal of normal order of two words or sentences etc. (as in ‘bred and born’)
Origin
From Ancient Greek, from ὕστερον (hústeron, “latter, arriving late”) + πρότερον (próteron,From Ancient Greek, from ὕστερον (hústeron, “latter, arriving late”) + πρότερον (próteron, “former, before”).
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Forms
plural: hysteron proterons| Singular | hysteron proteron |
|---|---|
| Plural | hysteron proterons |
regular