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aposiopesis

Pronunciation: /ˌapə(ʊ)ˌsʌɪəˈpiːsɪs/
Definition of aposiopesis

noun (plural aposiopeses /-siːz/)

[mass noun] Rhetoric
  • the device of suddenly breaking off in speech: in coping with the unsaid and unsayable, oral history is impelled towards aposiopesis

Derivatives

aposiopetic

Pronunciation: /-ˈpɛtɪk/
adjective

Origin:

late 16th century: via Latin from Greek aposiōpēsis, from aposiōpan 'be silent'

aposiopesis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aposiopesis in the US English dictionary

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