epistrophe
Americannoun
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Also called epiphora. Rhetoric. the repetition of a word or words at the end of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences, as in “I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong. …”
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Philosophy. (inNeoplatonism ) the realization by an intellect of its remoteness from the One.
noun
Etymology
Origin of epistrophe
First recorded in 1640–50; from New Latin, from Greek epistrophḗ; see epi-, strophe
Explanation
When you repeat a word or phrase again and again at the end of a series of sentences, that's epistrophe. You can use epistrophe as a rhetorical device when you give a speech, to emphasize your ideas. Epistrophe works especially well when it's used by public speakers who want to add emphasis and excitement to their speeches. Politicians use epistrophe all the time — one example is President Barack Obama's repetition, at the end of sentence after sentence, of the phrase "Yes, we can." As a literary tool, epistrophe gives lines a dramatic emphasis and a repetitive rhythm. In Greek, epistrophe means "a turning about," from epi, "about," and strophe, "a turning."
Vocabulary lists containing epistrophe
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anaphora and epistrophe are two related forms of parallelism.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
