periphrase
UK/ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/
periphrase noun: the use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
Noun
periphrase (countable and uncountable, plural periphrases)
- The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
- To describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine
- 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[…]1863, George Eliot, Romola, Volume III, Book III, Chapter VI, page 56
- Synonyms:
- periphrasis
Verb
periphrase (third-person singular simple present periphrases, present participle periphrasing, simple past and past participle periphrased)
- To express by periphrase or circumlocution.
- To use circumlocution.
periphrase meaning in Tamil
periphrase in Tamil
- மிகைச் சொற்றொடர், சுற்றி வளைத்த சொற்றொடர், சுற்றொடர்
Synonyms of periphrase
Forms of periphrase
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | periphrases |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | periphrases |
| present participle | periphrasing |
| past participle | periphrased |
| past | periphrased |
Origin of periphrase
From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “to consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “to show, point out”). See phrase.
Words formed from periphrase
Questions about periphrase
- What does periphrase mean?
- Periphrase means the use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution.
- What is periphrase in Tamil?
- Periphrase in Tamil is மிகைச் சொற்றொடர், சுற்றி வளைத்த சொற்றொடர், சுற்றொடர். See Periphrase meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is periphrase?
- Periphrase can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce periphrase?
- Periphrase is pronounced /ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz/ (UK).
- What is the plural of periphrase?
- The plural of periphrase is periphrases.
Words near periphrase in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: periphrase (page history and authors); periphrase (Tamil Wiktionary) (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: “periphrase.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/periphrase. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.