peripeteia

American  

[per-uh-pi-tahy-uh, -tee-uh] / ˌpɛr ə pɪˈtaɪ ə, -ˈti ə /

Also peripetia;

noun

1. a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work.

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peripeteia British  

/ -ˈtɪə, pəˈrɪpətɪ, ˌpɛrɪpɪˈtaɪə /

noun

1. (esp in drama) an abrupt turn of events or reversal of circumstances

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Other Word Forms

• peripeteian adjective

Etymology

Origin of peripeteia

First recorded in 1585–95; from Greek peripéteia “sudden change,” equivalent to peripet(ḗs) literally, “falling round” ( peri- peri- + pet-, base of píptein “to fall”) + -eia -y ³

Example Sentences

That was called peripeteia, meaning a dramatic reversal of fortune.

From Salon

A tragedy, wrote Aristotle in the fourth century BC, depicts the fall of a great but flawed man, and hinges on a peripeteia, or sudden reversal, like the Italian defender’s slur.

From Economist

My second thought: the Greek word “peripeteia,” a sudden reversal of fortune.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the most crucial element of tragedy as he saw it was peripeteia: reversals of fortune.

From The Guardian

This is the classic Aristotelian peripeteia: the sudden reversal of fortune.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• climax
• critical point
• crux
• culmination
• juncture
• twist