periphrasis
The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for…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".
Meaning
4 senses(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
перифра́зperifráz, перифра́заperifráza
(countable, uncountable)Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.
Language learners sometimes use periphrases like "did go" where a native speaker would use "went".
Native speakers use periphrases like "did not go" where a language learner might use "went not".
(countable, rhetoric, uncountable)The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a type of circumlocution).
(countable, rhetoric, uncountable)The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.
- a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis).From Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: periphrases| Singular | periphrasis |
|---|---|
| Plural | periphrases |
irregular
Synonyms
3 synonyms- a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things:circumlocutionambage
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable