euphuism

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eu·phu·ism

(yo͞o′fyo͞o-ĭz′əm)

1. An affectedly elegant literary style of the late 1500s and early 1600s, characterized by elaborate alliteration, antitheses, and similes.

2. Affected elegance of language.

[After Euphues, , a character in Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and his England by John Lyly, from Greek euphuēs, shapely : eu-, eu- + phuein, to grow, bring forth; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.]

eu′phu·ist n.

eu′phu·is′tic, eu′phu·is′ti·cal adj.

eu′phu·is′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.

euphuism

(ˈjuːfjuːˌɪzəm)

1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) an artificial prose style of the Elizabethan period, marked by extreme use of antithesis, alliteration, and extended similes and allusions

2. any stylish affectation in speech or writing, esp a rhetorical device or expression

[C16: after Euphues, prose romance by John Lyly]

ˈeuphuist n

ˌeuphuˈistic, ˌeuphuˈistical adj

ˌeuphuˈistically adv

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

eu•phu•ism

(ˈyu fyuˌɪz əm)

n.

1. an affected style in imitation of that of John Lyly, fashionable in Elizabethan England and characterized chiefly by excessive antitheses, alliteration, and elaborate similes.

2. any similar ornate style of writing or speaking.

[1590–1600; after Euphues, the main character in Lyly's works; see -ism]

eu′phu•ist, n.

eu`phu•is′tic, eu`phu•is′ti•cal, adj.

eu`phu•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.

Euphuism

1. an elaborate prose style invented by John Lyly c. 1580, characterized by bountiful figures of speech, Latinisms, extended similes, frequent antitheses, and highly involved syntax.
2. any similar ornate style of writing or speaking. Cf. Gongorism. — euphuist, n. — euphuistic, adj.

euphuism

A high-flown rhetorical literary style.

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Noun	1.	euphuism - any artificially elegant style of language expressive style, style - a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period; "all the reporters were expected to adopt the style of the newspaper" Gongorism - an affected elegance of style that was introduced into Spanish literature by the poet Gongora
	2.	euphuism - an elegant style of prose of the Elizabethan period; characterized by balance and antithesis and alliteration and extended similes with and allusions to nature and mythology prose - ordinary writing as distinguished from verse

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References in classic literature ?

Preposterous by any reasonable standard, Lyly's style, 'Euphuism,' precisely hit the Court taste of his age and became for a decade its most approved conversational dialect.

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"Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen" seems to be "General-statesrepresentativesmeetings," as nearly as I can get at it--a mere rhythmical, gushy euphuism for "meetings of the legislature," I judge.

View in context

He says that 'Italy is only an euphuism for Fate.'"

View in context

Men are naturally hunters and inquisitive of wood-craft, and I suppose that such a gazetteer as wood-cutters and Indians should furnish facts for, would take place in the most sumptuous drawing-rooms of all the "Wreaths" and "Flora's chaplets" of the bookshops; yet ordinarily, whether we are too clumsy for so subtle a topic, or from whatever cause, as soon as men begin to write on nature, they fall into euphuism. Frivolity is a most unfit tribute to Pan, who ought to be represented in the mythology as the most continent of gods.

View in context

(Once again, a dropped or scrapped piece of furniture that was salvaged by a public relations gimmick; similar to the euphuism for the sale of a pre-owned rather than a used automobile)

It Just Seems Normal

"The word 'violations' is a euphuism considering the horrendous war crimes being carried out in Kashmir", said Masood.

India must stop human right violations in IOK: Sardar Masood Khan

Dentre as publicacoes, destacam-se os artigos Leprechaunism: a euphuism for a rare familial disorder (3), sendo o primeiro a descrever a doenca; e A syndrome of insulin resistance resembling Donohue Syndrome with patent ductus arteriosus (4), que aborda a alteracao cromossomica dos portadores e dos pacientes que expressam a sindrome.

Nursing diagnoses and interventions for a neonate with Donohue Syndrome (Leprechaunism): a case study/Diagnosticos e intervencoes de enfermagem ao neonato com Sindrome de Donohue (Leprechaunismo): estudo de caso/Diagnostico e intervencion de enfermeria al neonato con Sindrome de Donohue (Leprechaunismo): estudio de caso

For Hamlet euphuism is a school for graceful originality of thought, a school where Osric fails though persists in his attempts at wit.

English Renaissance Sonnet and "The Origin of the Modern Mind"

Imagine the gesture of threading a needle through its "eye" in English or "cat" in French, the rhythmic repeated piercing of fabric with needle and thread, and the euphuism seamstresses mutter when they accidently pierce flesh and draw blood ("aii, j'ai vu le loup!", "oh, I saw the wolf", "ouch, I lost my virginity").

"Beast Boutique" by Jennifer Avery at Yellow Peril

While scholars typically treat the rhetorical flourishes of euphuism as the book's most influential feature, Kesson argues that the volume had lasting effects on the market for prose fiction.

Andy Kesson. John Lyly and Early Modern Authorship

A liberal scattering of borrowings from John Lyly's Euphues, and two passages hardly altered except for the change from the third to first person from Anthony Munday's euphuistic novel Zelauto (1580), indicate that the writer of the prefatory epistles aspires to the by-then outdated style of euphuism rather than the plain-speaking promised by the pseudonym.

Rachel Speght as "Criticall Reader"

[Compares EH's early fiction and wartime correspondence with correspondence written by other soldiers of the period, arguing that EH's stylistic inclination for irony, euphuism, and understatement was shared by his contemporaries, making them kindred spirits.

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