pleonasm
[ plee-uh-naz-uh m ]
/ ˈpli əˌnæz əm /
noun
the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy.
an instance of this, as free gift or true fact.
a redundant word or expression.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of pleonasm
1580–90; < Late Latin pleonasmus < Greek pleonasmós redundancy, surplus, derivative of pleonázein to be or have more than enough, itself derivative of pleíōn more (see pleo-)
Related formsple·o·nas·tic, adjectiveple·o·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pleonasm
British Dictionary definitions for pleonasm
pleonasm
/ (ˈpliːəˌnæzəm) /
noun rhetoric
the use of more words than necessary or an instance of this, such as a tiny little child
a word or phrase that is superfluous
Derived Formspleonastic, adjectivepleonastically, adverb
Word Origin for pleonasm
C16: from Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmos excess, from pleonazein to be redundant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for pleonasm
pleonasm
"redundancy in words," 1580s, from Late Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmos, from pleonazein "to be more than enough, to be superfluous," in grammatical use, "to add superfluously," from comb. form of pleon "more" (see pleio-).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for pleonasm
pleonasm
[ plē′ə-năz′əm ]
n.
An excess in the number or size of parts.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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