aposiopesis
[ ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis ]
/ ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi sɪs /
noun, plural ap·o·si·o·pe·ses [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-seez] /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi siz/. Rhetoric.
a sudden breaking off in the midst of a sentence, as if from inability or unwillingness to proceed.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
aporetic, aporia, aport, aposematic, aposematic coloration, aposiopesis, apospory, apostasy, apostate, apostatize, apostaxis
Origin of aposiopesis
Related formsap·o·si·o·pet·ic [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pet-ik] /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpɛt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for aposiopesis
British Dictionary definitions for aposiopesis
aposiopesis
/ (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpiːsɪs) /
noun plural -ses (-siːz)
rhetoric the device of suddenly breaking off in the middle of a sentence as if unwilling to continue
Derived Formsaposiopetic (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpɛtɪk), adjective
Word Origin for aposiopesis
C16: via Late Latin from Greek, from aposiōpaein to be totally silent, from siōpaein to be silent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for aposiopesis
aposiopesis
rhetorical artifice wherein the speaker suddenly breaks off in the middle of a sentence, 1570s, from Latin, from Greek aposiopesis "a becoming silent," also as a rhetorical figure, from apo- (see apo-) + siope "silence."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper