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periphrasis

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
pe·riph·ra·sis  (p-rfr-ss)
n. pl. pe·riph·ra·ses (-sz)
1. The use of circumlocution.
2. A circumlocution.

[Latin, from Greek, from periphrazein, to express periphrastically : peri-, peri- + phrazein, to say; see gwhren- in Indo-European roots.]

periphrasis [pəˈrɪfrəsɪs]
n pl -rases [-rəˌsiːz]
1. a roundabout way of expressing something; circumlocution
2. an expression of this kind
[via Latin from Greek, from peri- + phrazein to declare]

periphrasis
1. a roundabout way of speaking or writing; circumlocution.
2. an expression in such fashion. Cf. paraphrasis. — periphrastic, adj.
See also: Language
1. a roundabout way of speaking or writing; circumlocution.
2. an expression in such fashion. See also language. — periphrastic, adj.
See also: Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.periphrasis - a style that involves indirect ways of expressing thingsperiphrasis - a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
verboseness, verbosity - an expressive style that uses excessive or empty words
Translations
periphrasis [pəˈrɪfrəsɪs] N (periphrases (pl)) [pəˈrɪfrəsiːz]perífrasis f inv


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But when they talk to family and friends outside this magic circle, their account is often halting, peppered with periphrasis and understatement.
18) French at midcentury was still to some degree constrained by a lack of vocabulary--most especially of technical terms and abstract and collective nouns--while Greek was held to be the richest of languages, excelling in just these domains: thus, cultural difficulties aside, a good bit of periphrasis was inevitable.
Again, the result has been to strip away the insidious periphrasis that so often muffles the power of the Hebrew in previous translations (including the King James).
 
 
 
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