Dictionary.com

holophrastic

[ hol-uh-fras-tik, hoh-luh- ]
/ ˌhɒl əˈfræs tɪk, ˌhoʊ lə- /
Save This Word!

adjective
using or consisting of a single word that functions as a phrase or sentence.
characterized by holophrasis; polysynthetic: a holophrastic language.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of holophrastic

1855–60; holo- + -phrastic;see periphrastic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use holophrastic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for holophrastic

holophrastic
/ (ˌhɒləˈfræstɪk) /

adjective
denoting the stage in a child's acquisition of syntax when most utterances are single words
(of languages) tending to express in one word what would be expressed in several words in other languages; polysynthetic

Word Origin for holophrastic

C19: from holo- + Greek phrastikos expressive, from phrazein to express
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
FEEDBACK