prolepsis

[proh-lep-sis]

noun

plural

prolepses 

1. Rhetoric.,  the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.

2. the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred; prochronism.

3. the use of a descriptive word in anticipation of its becoming applicable.

4. a fundamental conception or assumption in Epicureanism or Stoicism arising spontaneously in the mind without conscious reflection; thought provoked by sense perception.

5. Pathology.,  the return of an attack of a periodic disease or of a paroxysm before the expected time or at progressively shorter intervals.

prolepsis

/ prəʊˈlɛpsɪs /

noun

1. a rhetorical device by which objections are anticipated and answered in advance

2. use of a word after a verb in anticipation of its becoming applicable through the action of the verb, as flat in hammer it flat

Other Word Forms

• proleptic adjective
• proleptical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolepsis¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Late Latin prolēpsis, from Greek prólēpsis “anticipation, preconception,” equivalent to prolēp-, future stem of prolambánein “to anticipate” ( pro- “for, before” + lambánein “to take”) + -sis noun suffix ( -sis

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolepsis¹

C16: via Late Latin from Greek: anticipation, from prolambanein to anticipate, from _pro- ² + lambanein to take

Example Sentences

Through its use of foreshadowing and prolepsis, “The Arabian Nights” consistently fosters a fatalistic sense that no one can escape his or her destiny.

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Part two of “Zama” takes place four years later, in 1794, and prolepsis—the narrative technique of jumping forward in time—has seldom been used to crueller effect.

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In fact, Fo makes explicit reference to the theater throughout, and uses borrowed techniques — including a visual “proscenium,” prolepsis, asides, interludes, shifting scenes and the dismantling of the fourth wall.

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In formal rhetoric, prolepsis means the anticipation of possible objections to an argument for the sake of answering them.

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It was a prolepsis of the soul, reaching upward towards its source and goal.

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