hypotaxis

[hahy-puh-tak-sis]

noun

Grammar.

1. dependent relation or construction, as of clauses; syntactic subordination.

hypotaxis

/ ˌhaɪpəʊˈtæktɪk, ˌhaɪpəʊˈtæksɪs /

noun

1. grammar the subordination of one clause to another by a conjunction Compare parataxis

Other Word Forms

• hypotactic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypotaxis¹

1880–85; < Greek hypótaxis subjection, equivalent to hypo- hypo- + -taxis -taxis

Example Sentences

Trump’s inability to master hypotaxis, the embedding of clauses within clauses—his tendency to keep elaborating on a single, incomplete clause until he runs out of steam—may, as University of Edinburgh language specialist Geoffrey Pullum told Vox, betray “scattered thoughts, a short span of attention, and a lack of intellectual discipline and analytical skills.”

From Slate