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antanaclasis

[ ant-an-uh-klas-is ]
/ ˌænt æn əˈklæs ɪs /
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noun Rhetoric.
a form of speech in which a key word is repeated and used in a different, and sometimes contrary, way for a play on words, as in The craft of a politician is to appear before the public without craft.
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Origin of antanaclasis

1640–50; <Greek antanáklasis literally, echo, reflection, equivalent to ant-ant- + ana-ana- + klásis a breaking, bending (see -clase, -clasis)

Words nearby antanaclasis

Antakiya, Antakya, antalkali, antalkaline, Antalya, antanaclasis, Antananarivo, antapex, antaranga, Antarctic, Antarctica
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use antanaclasis in a sentence

  • In Cicero's treatise on Oratory, a variety of instances of the antanaclasis are quoted, and highly praised by him for their wit.

    The Punster's Pocket-book|Charles Molloy Westmacott
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