holophrastic
[ hol-uh-fras-tik, hoh-luh- ]
/ ˌhɒl əˈfræs tɪk, ˌhoʊ lə- /
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adjective
using or consisting of a single word that functions as a phrase or sentence.
characterized by holophrasis; polysynthetic: a holophrastic language.
Nearby words
- holon,
- holophane,
- holophote,
- holophrase,
- holophrasis,
- holophyte,
- holophytic,
- holoplankton,
- holopneustic,
- holoprosencephaly
Origin of holophrastic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for holophrastic
Holophrastic, hol-o-fras′tik, adj. bearing the force of a whole phrase, expressive of a sentence or an idea.
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
holophrastic
1837, from holo- + Greek phrastikos, from phrazein "to indicate, tell, express" (see phrase (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper