aposiopesis
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin aposiopesis, from Ancient Greek ἀποσιώπησις (aposiṓpēsis), from ἀποσιωπάω (aposiōpáō, “be silent”), from ἀπό (apó, “off, from”) + σιωπάω (siōpáō, “to be silent”).
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ˌæpəsaɪəˈpiːsɪs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- Hyphenation: apo‧si‧o‧pe‧sis
Examples (breaking off in speech) |
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I can't even ... |
Noun
editaposiopesis (countable and uncountable, plural aposiopeses)
- (rhetoric) An abrupt breaking-off in speech, often indicated in print using an ellipsis (…) or an em dash (—).
- Synonym: (obsolete) reticence
- 1759, [Laurence Sterne], chapter VI, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 2nd (1st London) edition, volume II, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 123:
- —"My ſiſter, mayhap," quoth my uncle Toby, "does not chooſe to let a man come ſo near her ****" Make this daſh—'tis an Apoſiopeſis.—Take the daſh away, and write Backſide,—'tis Bawdy.
- 1911, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson:
- “If you are not—” The aposiopesis was icy.
- 1938, Samuel Beckett, Murphy, London: George Routledge & Sons, OCLC 939632162; republished New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, 1957, OCLC 855435111, page 164:
- “Have fire in this garret before night or—” / He stopped because he could not go on. It was an aposiopesis of the purest kind.
- 1982, John Fowles, Mantissa, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN:
- This somewhat abrupt ending (or aposiopesis) is caused by a previous movement from the figure on the bed.
Hypernyms
editTranslations
editabrupt breaking-off in speech
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See also
editReferences
editFurther reading
edit- “aposiopesis”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- aposiopesis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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