Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having the nature of or characterized by periphrasis.
- adjective Grammar Constructed by using an auxiliary word rather than an inflected form; for example, of father is the periphrastic possessive case of father but father's is the inflected possessive case, and did say is the periphrastic past tense of say but said is the inflected past tense.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having the character of or characterized by periphrasis; circumlocutory; expressing or expressed in more words than are necessary.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Expressing, or expressed, in more words than are necessary; characterized by periphrase; circumlocutory.
- adjective (Gram.) a conjugation formed by the use of the simple verb with one or more auxiliaries.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Expressed in
more words than arenecessary . - adjective Indirect in naming an entity;
circumlocutory . - adjective grammar Characterized by
periphrase orcircumlocution .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective roundabout and unnecessarily wordy
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I almost said "periphrastic" -- ways of putting simple thoughts into words.
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Lude, commemorated in the ingenious Mr. Gunn's Essay on the Caledonian Harp, and so proceed in my story with all the brevity that my natural style of composition, partaking of what scholars call the periphrastic and ambagitory, and the vulgar the circumbendibus, will permit me.
The Waverley 1877
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But without further tyranny over my readers, or display of the extent of my own reading, I shall content myself with borrowing a single incident from the memorable hunting at Lude, commemorated in the ingenious Mr. Gunn's essay on the Caledonian Harp, and so proceed in my story with all the brevity that my natural style of composition, partaking of what scholars call the periphrastic and ambagitory, and the vulgar the circumbendibus, will permit me.
Waverley — Volume 1 Walter Scott 1801
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But without further tyranny over my readers, or display of the extent of my own reading, I shall content myself with borrowing a single incident from the memorable hunting at Lude, commemorated in the ingenious Mr. Gunn's Essay on the Caledonian Harp, and so proceed in my story with all the brevity that my natural style of composition, partaking of what scholars call the periphrastic and ambagitory, and the vulgar the circumbendibus, will permit me.
Waverley: or, 'Tis sixty years since Walter Scott 1801
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But without further tyranny over my readers, or display of the extent of my own reading, I shall content myself with borrowing a single incident from the memorable hunting at Lude, commemorated in the ingenious Mr. Gunn's essay on the Caledonian Harp, and so proceed in my story with all the brevity that my natural style of composition, partaking of what scholars call the periphrastic and ambagitory, and the vulgar the circumbendibus, will permit me.
Waverley Walter Scott 1801
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But without further tyranny over my readers, or display of the extent of my own reading, I shall content myself with borrowing a single incident from the memorable hunting at Lude, commemorated in the ingenious Mr. Gunn's essay on the Caledonian Harp, and so proceed in my story with all the brevity that my natural style of composition, partaking of what scholars call the periphrastic and ambagitory, and the vulgar the circumbendibus, will permit me.
Waverley — Complete Walter Scott 1801
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In the sentence “Where can I get scrod?”, the cabbie is apparently taking “get scrod” as the periphrastic passive voice of “screw”.
The Volokh Conspiracy » More on Information About Prostitution 2010
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In the sentence “Where can I get scrod?”, the cabbie is apparently taking “get scrod” as the periphrastic passive voice of “screw”.
The Volokh Conspiracy » More on Information About Prostitution 2010
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Embedded in a clause, with regard to and its brethren are increasingly overworked, leading to a weak and periphrastic style.
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Yet, just as the periphrastic construction of de gustibus non disputandum est suggests both in Latin and Kant's
Contention and Contestation: Aesthetic Culture in Kant and Bourdieu 2008
beatricks commented on the word periphrastic
wordy!
October 28, 2007
seanahan commented on the word periphrastic
This word means overly wordy? It should be our new motto.
BTW, I think this is like the 4th or 5th word I've suggested as our motto. If I could find them all, I would make a list.
October 28, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word periphrastic
"Latin, which you had anticipated would be a breeze, had been especially difficult.... Why, you thought in your head, was the subjunctive so darn hard? Why hadn't you ever heard of the passive periphrastic?"
—Brian David Mooney, "SPQR," The Cincinnati Review, 6.1 (Summer 2009)
July 22, 2009