prolepsis
Rhetoric. the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.
the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred; prochronism.
the use of a descriptive word in anticipation of its becoming applicable.
a fundamental conception or assumption in Epicureanism or Stoicism arising spontaneously in the mind without conscious reflection; thought provoked by sense perception.
Pathology. the return of an attack of a periodic disease or of a paroxysm before the expected time or at progressively shorter intervals.
Origin of prolepsis
1Other words from prolepsis
- pro·lep·tic [proh-lep-tik], /proʊˈlɛp tɪk/, pro·lep·ti·cal, adjective
Words Nearby prolepsis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use prolepsis in a sentence
An instance of prolepsis, or "anticipation" in the use of a word.
The Lady of the Lake | Sir Walter ScottIt was a prolepsis of the soul, reaching upward towards its source and goal.
Christianity and Greek Philosophy | Benjamin Franklin Cocker
British Dictionary definitions for prolepsis
/ (prəʊˈlɛpsɪs) /
a rhetorical device by which objections are anticipated and answered in advance
use of a word after a verb in anticipation of its becoming applicable through the action of the verb, as flat in hammer it flat
Origin of prolepsis
1Derived forms of prolepsis
- proleptic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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