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periphrasis

/pəˈrɪf.rəs.ɪs/

periphrasisnoun

periphrases

/pəˈrɪf.rəs.ɪs/

Translations

перифраз

The author used a periphrasis to describe the character's emotions.

Автор использовал перифраз, чтобы описать эмоции персонажа.

Additional translations

иносказание

описательное выражение

Definitions

The use of indirect and circumlocutory speech or writing.

The politician's speech was full of periphrasis, making it difficult to understand his actual stance on the issue.

A roundabout way of speaking or writing, often used to avoid saying something directly.

Instead of saying 'he died,' she used a periphrasis, saying 'he passed away to a better place.'

In linguistics, a phrase used to express a grammatical meaning that would otherwise be conveyed by inflection (e.g., using separate words rather than a bound morpheme).

In English, 'more beautiful' is a periphrasis for the comparative form 'prettier'.

Synonyms

circumlocution

roundabout expression

expansion

wordiness

verbosity