anagnorisis

[an-ag-nawr-uh-sis, -nohr-]

noun

plural

anagnorises 

1. (in ancient Greek tragedy) the critical moment of recognition or discovery, especially preceding peripeteia.

anagnorisis

/ ˌænəɡˈnɒrɪsɪs /

noun

1. (in Greek tragedy) the recognition or discovery by the protagonist of the identity of some character or the nature of his own predicament, which leads to the resolution of the plot; denouement

Word History and Origins

Origin of anagnorisis¹

1790–1800; < Latin < Greek, equivalent to anagnōrí ( zein ) to know again ( ana- ana- + gnōr-, cognate with Latin -gnōr- in ignōrāre to ignore + -izein -ize ) + -sis -sis; perhaps gnōr- from adj. derivative *gnō-ró- knowing

Word History and Origins

Origin of anagnorisis¹

from Greek: recognition

Example Sentences

It’s an example of anagnorisis, the recognition of a character’s true nature, a literary device reaching back to Oedipus and beyond.

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To make that point, Mr. Hall said the play had to end with Beale undergoing “a moment of anagnorisis” — some final realization about the truth of his experience.

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That’s because we have reached that key theatrical moment, which Aristotle famously called “anagnorisis” or “recognition.”

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