Periphrasis

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs/

Origin

From Ancient Greek περίφρασις.

Full definition of periphrasis

Noun

1. The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".
2. (linguistics) Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.
3. (rhetoric) The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a species of circumlocution)
4. (rhetoric) The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.

Related terms

• periphrase
• periphrastic

Synonyms

• beat around the bush
• circumlocution