periphrasis

American  

[puh-rif-ruh-sis] / pəˈrɪf rə sɪs /

Also periphrase

noun

plural

periphrases

1. the use of an unnecessarily long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution.

2. an expression phrased in such fashion.

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periphrasis British  

/ pəˈrɪfrəsɪs /

noun

1. a roundabout way of expressing something; circumlocution

2. an expression of this kind

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Etymology

Origin of periphrasis

1525–35; < Latin < Greek períphrasis. See peri-, phrase, -sis

Explanation

When you choose a longer or less straightforward way of saying something, you use periphrasis. One example of periphrasis is describing someone as "more intelligent" instead of "smarter." Choosing a two-word description instead of the one-word equivalent (like "more lengthy" rather than "longer") is one way to use periphrasis. This also happens when you use a longer phrase, like "give a presentation," instead of a single word that conveys the same meaning, "present." Using many words to describe something instead of a simple noun is also periphrasis: "the mother of my father," for example, instead of "grandmother." The Greek root, periphrazein, means "speak in a roundabout way."

Example Sentences

Prince Bumpo, the heir to the throne, is a mooncalf who mistakes fairy tales for real life, speaks in Elizabethan periphrasis and murmurs to himself: “If only I were a white prince!”

From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2020

This periphrasis so fascinated Charles W. Morton, now the associate editor of the Atlantic, that he began collecting examples of "Elongated Yellow Fruit" writing.

From Time Magazine Archive

Oddly, they all speak the same puckish periphrasis.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hazlitt affirms that this popular diction is "an expression or combination of words conveying a truth to the mind by a figure, periphrasis, antithesis, or hyperbole."

From Proverb Lore Many sayings, wise or otherwise, on many subjects, gleaned from many sources by Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)

"To make Baldassare laugh" became a stock periphrasis for the supreme degree of tragedy among his neighbours.

From Little Novels of Italy by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

Related Words

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