"periphrase" meaning in English

See periphrase in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/ [UK] Forms: periphrases [plural]
Etymology: From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase. Etymology templates: {{uder|en|la|periphrasis}} Latin periphrasis, {{uder|en|grc|περίφρασις}} Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis) Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} periphrase (countable and uncountable, plural periphrases)
  1. (rhetoric) The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution. Tags: countable, rhetoric, uncountable Categories (topical): Rhetoric Synonyms: periphrasis Derived forms: periphrasic
    Sense id: en-periphrase-en-noun-w6aNbwG5 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English undefined derivations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 55 20 25 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 66 16 18

Verb

IPA: /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/ [UK] Forms: periphrases [present, singular, third-person], periphrasing [participle, present], periphrased [participle, past], periphrased [past]
Etymology: From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase. Etymology templates: {{uder|en|la|periphrasis}} Latin periphrasis, {{uder|en|grc|περίφρασις}} Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis) Head templates: {{en-verb}} periphrase (third-person singular simple present periphrases, present participle periphrasing, simple past and past participle periphrased)
  1. (transitive) To express by periphrase or circumlocution. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-periphrase-en-verb-RqZNkhkE
  2. (intransitive) To use circumlocution. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-periphrase-en-verb-kn2pJwXG

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for periphrase meaning in English (4.2kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "periphrasis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin periphrasis",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "περίφρασις"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "periphrases",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
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      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Rhetoric",
          "orig": "en:Rhetoric",
          "parents": [
            "Language",
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 20 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "66 16 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English undefined derivations",
          "parents": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "periphrasic"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine\nTo describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1863, George Eliot, Romola, Volume III, Book III, Chapter VI, page 56",
          "text": "He held up the condition of the Church in the terrible mirror of his unflinching speech, which called things by their right names and dealt in no polite periphrases[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution."
      ],
      "id": "en-periphrase-en-noun-w6aNbwG5",
      "links": [
        [
          "rhetoric",
          "rhetoric"
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        [
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          "circumlocution"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rhetoric) The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "periphrasis"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "rhetoric",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "paraphrase (if the second vowel is pronounced as a schwa, as it sometimes is)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "periphrase"
}

{
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      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "periphrases",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrasing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrased",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrased",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
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    }
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "To express by periphrase or circumlocution."
      ],
      "id": "en-periphrase-en-verb-RqZNkhkE",
      "links": [
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        ],
        [
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To express by periphrase or circumlocution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "To use circumlocution."
      ],
      "id": "en-periphrase-en-verb-kn2pJwXG",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To use circumlocution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "paraphrase (if the second vowel is pronounced as a schwa, as it sometimes is)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "periphrase"
}
{
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    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English undefined derivations",
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  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "periphrasic"
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  "etymology_templates": [
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      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.",
  "forms": [
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  "head_templates": [
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Rhetoric"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine\nTo describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1863, George Eliot, Romola, Volume III, Book III, Chapter VI, page 56",
          "text": "He held up the condition of the Church in the terrible mirror of his unflinching speech, which called things by their right names and dealt in no polite periphrases[…]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution."
      ],
      "links": [
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        ],
        [
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          "circumlocution"
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        "(rhetoric) The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "rhetoric",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "paraphrase (if the second vowel is pronounced as a schwa, as it sometimes is)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "periphrasis"
    }
  ],
  "word": "periphrase"
}

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    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English uncountable nouns",
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        "3": "periphrasis"
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      "name": "uder"
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    {
      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "periphrases",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrasing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrased",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "periphrased",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "periphrase (third-person singular simple present periphrases, present participle periphrasing, simple past and past participle periphrased)",
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    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To express by periphrase or circumlocution."
      ],
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        [
          "periphrase",
          "#Noun"
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        [
          "circumlocution",
          "circumlocution"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To express by periphrase or circumlocution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use circumlocution."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To use circumlocution."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "paraphrase (if the second vowel is pronounced as a schwa, as it sometimes is)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "periphrase"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-06-04 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (e9e0a99 and db5a844). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.