topos

American  

[toh-pohs, ‑pos] / ˈtoʊ poʊs, ‑pɒs /

noun

topoi plural

1. a convention or motif, especially in a literary work; a rhetorical convention.

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topos British  

/ ˈtɒpɒs /

noun

1. a basic theme or concept, esp a stock topic in rhetoric

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• topoi
  plural

Etymology

Origin of topos

First recorded in 1935–40; from Greek (koinós) tópos “(common) place”; see topic ( def. )

Example Sentences

And now it’s part of the topos of teaching, whether instructors are trained for it or not.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2022

The workers — specialists known in Mexico as topos, or moles — have drilled a tunnel to gain access to the interior.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2017

The national disdain of the “intellectual” is a frequent topos in my writing.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 21, 2016

But it also stands as a cinematic topos pregnant with meaning.

From The Guardian • Sep. 22, 2010

See also Bernard Guenée on the topos of the eye-witness, in *Histoire et culture historique dans l'occident médiéval*, Paris, 1980.

From The Deeds of God Through the Franks by Levine, Robert