Periphrasis

noun

/pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs/

Word Frequency: 0.1

Definitions

1.nounThe use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".

2.nounExpressing 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"."

3.nounThe substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a species of circumlocution).

4.nounThe use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.

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