ple·o·nasm
(plē′ə-năz′əm)n.1. a. The use of more words than are required to express an idea; redundancy.
b. An instance of pleonasm.
2. A superfluous word or phrase.
[Late Latin
pleonasmus, from Greek
pleonasmos, from
pleonazein,
to be excessive, from
pleōn,
more; see
pelə- in
Indo-European roots.]
ple′o·nas′tic (-năs′tĭk) adj.
ple′o·nas′ti·cal·ly adv.
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.
pleonasm
(ˈpliːəˌnæzəm) n1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) the use of more words than necessary or an instance of this, such as a tiny little child
2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a word or phrase that is superfluous
[C16: from Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmos excess, from pleonazein to be redundant]
ˌpleoˈnastic, ˌpleoˈnastical adj
ˌpleoˈnastically adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ple•o•nasm
(ˈpli əˌnæz əm)
n. 1. the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy.
2. an instance of this, as free gift.
[1580–90; < Late Latin pleonasmus < Greek pleonasmós redundancy, surplus, derivative of pleonázein to be more than enough, derivative of pleíōn more]
ple`o•nas′tic, adj.
ple`o•nas′ti•cal•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
pleonasm
1. the use of unnecessary words to express an idea; redundancy.
2. an instance of this, as true fact.
3. a redundant word or expression. — pleonastic, adj.
See also: Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices
1. the use of unnecessary words to express an idea; redundancy.
2. an instance of this, as true fact.
3. a redundant word or expression. — pleonastic, adj.
See also: Language-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
pleonasm
A superfluous word or phrase, or the use of more words than necessary.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited