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anagnorisis

[ an-ag-nawr-uh-sis, -nohr- ]
/ ˌæn ægˈnɔr ə sɪs, -ˈnoʊr- /
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noun, plural an·ag·no·ri·ses [an-ag-nawr-uh-seez, -nohr-]. /ˌæn ægˈnɔr əˌsiz, -ˈnoʊr-/.
(in ancient Greek tragedy) the critical moment of recognition or discovery, especially preceding peripeteia.
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Origin of anagnorisis

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anagnorisis in a sentence

  • Now then for anagnorisis, comic peripeteia, division into acts, and the rest of the wallet!

    Two Sides of the Face|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
  • Il Lasca, who deserves great credit for his perspicacity, carried on an unremitting warfare against the comedy of anagnorisis.

  • It was often associated with the anagnorisis or recognition.

    Play-Making|William Archer

British Dictionary definitions for anagnorisis

anagnorisis
/ (ˌænəɡˈnɒrɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
(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 Origin for anagnorisis

from Greek: recognition
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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