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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Origin of holophrastic
Words nearby holophrastic
Holon, Holophane, holophote, holophrase, holophrasis, holophrastic, holophyte, holophytic, holoplankton, holopneustic, holoprosencephaly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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.
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