peripeteia
a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work.
Origin of peripeteia
1- Also per·i·pe·ti·a; pe·rip·e·ty [puh-rip-i-tee]. /pəˈrɪp ɪ ti/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use peripeteia in a sentence
But Theodore Kremer, who very possibly never heard of peripety, would do exactly the same thing.
Seeing Things at Night | Heywood BrounWhen a pupil brings in a play in favor of polygamy, Baker declines to argue but talks instead about peripety.
Pieces of Hate | Heywood BrounIt is a turning-point, a veritable moral peripety, though the decisive step was taken long ago.
Cyropaedia | XenophonHas the conception of the peripety, as an almost obligatory element in drama, any significance for the modern playwright?
Play-Making | William ArcherIn the third act of Othello we have a peripety handled with consummate theatrical skill.
Play-Making | William Archer
British Dictionary definitions for peripeteia
peripetia peripety (pəˈrɪpətɪ)
/ (ˌpɛrɪpɪˈtaɪə, -ˈtɪə) /
(esp in drama) an abrupt turn of events or reversal of circumstances
Origin of peripeteia
1Derived forms of peripeteia
- peripeteian or peripetian, adjective
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
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