battology

American

[buh-tol-uh-jee] / bəˈtɒl ə dʒi /

noun

wearisome repetition of words in speaking or writing.

Other Word Forms

battological adjective
battologist noun

Etymology

Origin of battology

1595–1605; < Greek battología ( bátt ( os ) stammerer + -o- -o- + -logia -logy )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This sonorous balance of phrase and epithet cannot always escape what Milton himself calls "the heathenish battology of multiplying words."

From Milton by Raleigh, Walter Alexander, Sir

Repetition -- N. repetition, iteration, reiteration, harping, recurrence, succession, run; battology, tautology; monotony, tautophony; rhythm &c.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark

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