periphrastic Hear it!

periphrastic Definition

peri·phras·tic (per′i fras′tik)

adjective

  1. of, like, or expressed in periphrasis
  2. Gram. formed with a particle or an auxiliary verb instead of by inflection (Ex.: the phrase did sing used for the inflected form sang)

Etymology: ML periphrasticus < Gr periphrastikos

periphrastic Related Forms
per′i·phras′·ti·cally adverb
periphrastic Synonyms

periphrastic

modif.

equivocal, roundabout, circumlocutory; see obscure 1.

periphrastic Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • construction: A periphrastic construction using a prepositional phrase beginning with " of " : " the door of the house " .
  • form: We will argue in 4 that this may be evidence for the origin of the periphrastic forms in written registers.
  • type: Adjectives with three or more syllables are nearly always of the periphrastic type.
  • comparative: More periphrastic comparatives occur in writing than in speech whereas in speech the reverse is true.
  • superlative: The periphrastic superlatives also greatly outnumber the inflectional superlatives from the Late Middle English period onwards.
  • formation: What we shall see in §5 is the missing link, namely equivalence between a suppletive and a periphrastic formation.
periphrastic Quotes

A periphrastic study in a worn-out poetical fashion, Leaving one still with the intolerable wrestle With words and meanings.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)