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definitions

anastrophe

[ uh-nas-truh-fee ]
/ əˈnæs trə fi /

noun Rhetoric.

inversion of the usual order of words.

Nearby words

  1. anastigmatic,
  2. anastomose,
  3. anastomosis,
  4. anastomotic branch,
  5. anastomotic ulcer,
  6. anastrozole,
  7. anastylosis,
  8. anat.,
  9. anata,
  10. anatabine

Origin of anastrophe

1570–80; < Greek: turning back. See ana-, strophe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for anastrophe

anastrophe

/ (əˈnæstrəfɪ) /

noun

rhetoric another term for inversion (def. 3)

Word Origin for anastrophe

C16: from Greek, from anastrephein to invert
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

Word Origin and History for anastrophe

anastrophe

n.

"inversion of usual word order," 1570s, from Greek anastrophe "a turning back, a turning upside down," from anastrephein "to turn up or back, to turn upside down," from ana "back" (see ana-) + strephein "to turn" (see strophe).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper