topos

American  

[toh-pohs, ‑pos] / ˈtoʊ poʊs, ‑pɒs /

noun

plural

topoi

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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Etymology

Origin of topos

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

Esti de ho topos outos peri on hoi pigmaioi katoikousin; ou gar esti touto mythos, all' esti kata taen alaetheian.

From A Philological Essay Concerning the Pygmies of the Ancients by Tyson, Edward