anaphora

American  

[uh-naf-er-uh] / əˈnæf ər ə /

noun

1. Also called epanaphora.  Rhetoric. repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences.

2. Grammar. the use of a word as a regular grammatical substitute for a preceding word or group of words, as the use of it and do in I know it and he does too.

3. Eastern Church. Sometimes Anaphora

   1. the prayer of oblation and consecration in the Divine Liturgy during which the Eucharistic elements are offered.

   2. the part of the ceremony during which the Eucharistic elements are offered as an oblation.

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anaphora British  

/ əˈnæfərə /

noun

1. grammar the use of a word such as a pronoun that has the same reference as a word previously used in the same discourse. In the sentence John wrote the essay in the library but Peter did it at home, both did and it are examples of anaphora Compare cataphora exophoric

2. rhetoric the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

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Other Word Forms

• anaphoral adjective
• preanaphoral adjective

Etymology

Origin of anaphora

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin, from Greek: “a bringing back, repeating,” equivalent to ana- ana- + -phora, akin to phérein “to carry, bring”; -phore, -phorous

Explanation

When the same word or phrase is used at the beginning of a series of sentences, that's anaphora. Used to show emphasis in speech or writing, anaphora is a popular tool for politicians, religious leaders, lyricists, and poets. In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech, he said "I have a dream" eight different times. He used anaphora as a rhetorical technique, repeating the words to drive home a point. As a literary device, anaphora also gives emphasis and rhythm to lines like these of Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," with the repetition of "it was" eight more times in one sentence. In Greek, anaphora means "a carrying back."

Example Sentences

The study may also help inform linguistics theory concerning various forms of anaphora.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

Throughout the book, Evans uses anaphora in conjunction with evocative imagery.

From Washington Post • Oct. 26, 2021

Mueller’s verbal dryness, amid the juicy statements, florid grandstanding, and indignant anaphora of his questioners, was like the rustling pages of an old book.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 24, 2019

Mr. Muldoon uses anaphora — the repeated use of the word “every” — to pulverizing effect.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2016

For the anaphora of tu in hymns or solemn prayer, see the passages collected by Nisbet and Hubbard at Hor Carm I x 9 and by Tarrant at Sen Ag 311.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Akrigg, Mark Bear