auxesis

American

[awg-zee-sis, awk-see-] / ɔgˈzi sɪs, ɔkˈsi- /

noun

Biology.

growth, especially that resulting from an increase in cell size.

auxesis British

/ ɔːɡˈziːsɪs, ɔːkˈsiː- /

noun

growth in animal or plant tissues resulting from an increase in cell size without cell division

"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

Etymology

Origin of auxesis

1570–80; < Greek: increase, equivalent to auxē- verbid stem of aúxein to increase + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

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auxesis

Figures of auxesis and repetition—often pulling together words or themes from earlier in the speech—commonly proliferate in the peroration, and many orators will crank it up a little in the direction of the grand style.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023