synesis

[ sin-uh-sis ]

noun

, Grammar.

1. a construction in which an expected grammatical agreement in form is replaced by an agreement in meaning, as in The crowd rose to their feet, where a plural pronoun is used to refer to a singular noun.

synesis

/ ˈsɪnɪsɪs /

noun

1. a grammatical construction in which the inflection or form of a word is conditioned by the meaning rather than the syntax, as for example the plural form have with the singular noun group in the sentence the group have already assembled

Word History and Origins

Origin of synesis¹

1890–95; < New Latin < Greek sýnesis understanding, intelligence, equivalent to syn- syn- + ( h ) e- (stem of hiénai to throw, send) + -sis -sis

Word History and Origins

Origin of synesis¹

via New Latin from Greek sunesis union, from sunienai to bring together, from syn- + hienai to send

Example Sentences

Synesis, sin′e-sis, n. a grammatical construction in harmony with the sense rather than with strict syntax.

From Project Gutenberg