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Webster's New World College Dictionary » paraphrase
paraphrase
paraphrase definition
para·phrase (par′ə frāz′)
noun
- a rewording of something spoken or written, usually for the purpose of making its meaning clearer
- the use of this as a literary or teaching device
- an approximate rendering of a quotation, saying, etc. whose exact words cannot be cited or recalled
- a free reworking of a musical text or composition
Etymology: Fr < L paraphrasis < Gr < paraphrazein, to say in other words: see para- & phrase
transitive verb paraphrased -·phrased′, paraphrasing -·phras′·ing
to express in a paraphrase
intransitive verb
to compose a paraphrase
Related Forms:
- paraphraser par′a·phras′er noun
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