Dictionary.com

anastrophe

[ uh-nas-truh-fee ]
/ əˈnæs trə fi /

noun Rhetoric.

inversion of the usual order of words.

QUIZZES

BEAT THE DOLDRUMS WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

We know you’ll tackle this quiz totis viribus! See how many words from the week of Oct 12–18, 2020 you get right!
Question 1 of 7
What does “Indigenous” mean?
characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.
carried on abroad, or with other countries.
relating to or being a people who are the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region, or are their descendants.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of anastrophe

1570–80; <Greek: turning back. See ana-, strophe

Words nearby anastrophe

anastigmatic, anastomose, anastomosis, anastomotic branch, anastomotic ulcer, anastrophe, anastrozole, anastylosis, anat., anata, anatabine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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