holophrastic

[ hol-uh-fras-tik, hoh-luh- ]

adjective
  1. using or consisting of a single word that functions as a phrase or sentence.

  2. characterized by holophrasis; polysynthetic: a holophrastic language.

Origin of holophrastic

1
1855–60; holo- + -phrastic;see periphrastic

Words Nearby holophrastic

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How to use holophrastic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for holophrastic

holophrastic

/ (ˌhɒləˈfræstɪk) /


adjective
  1. denoting the stage in a child's acquisition of syntax when most utterances are single words

  2. (of languages) tending to express in one word what would be expressed in several words in other languages; polysynthetic

Origin of holophrastic

1
C19: from holo- + Greek phrastikos expressive, from phrazein to express

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