hys·ter·on prot·er·on

(hĭs′tə-rŏn′ prŏt′ə-rŏn′)

1. A figure of speech in which the natural or rational order of its terms is reversed, as in bred and born instead of born and bred.

2. The logical fallacy of assuming as true and using as a premise a proposition that is yet to be proved.

[Late Latin, from Greek husteron proteron, latter first : husteron, neuter sing. of husteros, latter, later; see ud- in Indo-European roots + proteron, neuter sing. of proteros, former; see per in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hysteron proteron

(ˈhɪstəˌrɒn ˈprɒtəˌrɒn)

1. (Logic) logic a fallacious argument in which the proposition to be proved is assumed as a premise

2. (Rhetoric) rhetoric a figure of speech in which the normal order of two sentences, clauses, etc, is reversed, as in bred and born (for born and bred)

[C16: from Late Latin, from Greek husteron proteron the latter (placed as) former]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hys•ter•on prot•er•on

(ˈhɪs təˌrɒn ˈprɒt əˌrɒn)
n.

a figure of speech in which the logical order of two elements in discourse is reversed, as in “bred and born” for “born and bred.”

[1555–65; < Late Latin < Greek hýsteron (neuter of hýsteros) latter + próteron (neuter of próteros) former]

hysteron proteron

a figure of speech in which what logically should come last comes flrst, as “bred and bom” and “thunder and lightning.” Also called hysterology.

hysteron proteron

A rhetorical device in which the natural order of words is inverted.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	hysteron proteron - reversal of normal order of two words or sentences etc. (as in `bred and born') rhetorical device - a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)
	2.	hysteron proteron - the logical fallacy of using as a true premise a proposition that is yet to be proved logical fallacy - a fallacy in logical argumentation

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References in periodicals archive

The title of the exhibition alludes to a rhetorical device (Hysteron Proteron) where what is put first is in fact temporally or logically subsequent.

Exhibition takes a different look at time

By placing its conclusion before the rational arguments leading to it, Brutus employs hysteron proteron, the rhetorical figure of putting the latter part before the former, indicating that Brutus's passion has overtaken his reason.

Oxymoronic Ethos: The Rhetoric of Honor and Its Performance in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

When he heard a clerk from another chambers disparaging Mozart, the Justice retorted, "When you listen to Mozart, it is not Mozart who is on trial!" When we confessed our lack of familiarity with concepts such as "hysteron proteron" or "hapax legomenon," the Justice cheerfully enlightened us (sometimes after a brief detour into the sorry state of modern education).

Justice Scalia the teacher

mea culpa e miserere" is technically a hysteron proteron, as it is

Filemazio's words: Francesco Guccini and prophetic resistance

I write hysteron proteron on the board, explain it means "last, first" in Greek, and we practice using hysteron proteron for a few minutes in everyday conversation.

Classroom notes on teaching The Odyssey

Hysteron proteron. A Greek figure of rhetoric that means "the latter earlier," or more familiarly, the cart before the horse.

A light-hearted look at Greek figures of rhetoric

For me this is simply a case of hysteron proteron, a well-known poetic device, with the imperfect employed in its normal way to indicate a one-time occurrence in the non-immediate past with no associated reference to its duration.

Time, Tense and Aspect in Early Vedic Grammar: Exploring Inflectional Semantics in the Rigveda

analizza alcuni elementi e procedimenti narrativi, come la magia, il procedimento dell'hysteron proteron, i racconti secondari.

F. Gasti (Ed.): Il romanzo latino: modelli e tradizione letteraria Atti della VII giornata ghisleriana di filologia classica (Pavia, 11-12 ottobre 2007)

The reversal of order is a continual fiction within the cave: "La projection renversante de l'hystera protera" (321) ["reversing projection of the hysteron proteron" (259)] is a "Projet qui prescrit et surdetermine, silencieusement, toute la metaphoricite.

Womb as synecdoche: introduction to Irigaray's deconstruction of Plato's cave