Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

CRASIS

 - 2 dictionary results

cra⋅sis

[krey-sis]
–noun, plural -ses [-seez] . Archaic.
composition; constitution; makeup.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Gk krâsis mixture, blend, equiv. to krā- (base of kerannýnai to mix) + -sis -sis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To CRASIS
Encyclopedia

crasis

in classical Greek, the contraction of two vowels or diphthongs at the end of one word and the beginning of an immediately following word, as kan for kai an or houmos for ho emos. Crasis is especially common in some lyric poetry and in Old Comedy. The term sometimes refers to word-internal contraction in Latin, as nil from nihil. The word is from the Greek krasis, literally, "mixing or blending."

Learn more about crasis with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see CRASIS on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: