cataplexis
cataplexis noun: a rhetorical device in which a threat of retribution (especially of divine punishment) is made in response to wrongdoing.
Noun
cataplexis (uncountable)
- A rhetorical device in which a threat of retribution (especially of divine punishment) is made in response to wrongdoing.
- In III.v's [sc. Ben Jonson's Epicoene] final sixty lines, Morose and Truewit wish calamity on Cutbeard: 'May he get the itch, and his shop so lousy as no man dare come at him' (III.v.70-71). They focus half of their cataplexis on Cutbeard's body, which they hope will develop blotches and gout, and...2016, E. Decamp, Civic and Medical Worlds in Early Modern England: Performing Barbery and Surgery, page 41
- Synonyms:
- commination
Synonyms of cataplexis
Origin of cataplexis
From Ancient Greek κατάπληξις (katáplēxis, “amazement, consternation”), from καταπλήσσω (kataplḗssō, “to amaze, astound”).
Questions about cataplexis
- What does cataplexis mean?
- Cataplexis means a rhetorical device in which a threat of retribution (especially of divine punishment) is made in response to wrongdoing.
- What part of speech is cataplexis?
- Cataplexis is a noun.
Words near cataplexis in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cataplexis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “cataplexis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cataplexis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.