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perifrasi

periphrasis

noun peh-REE-frah-zee Rare
Communication Language

Origin: Greek periphrasis, from peri- (around) + phrazein (to speak)

Also means

circumlocution

Usage Note

Perifrasi is a feminine noun and is invariable in the plural — la perifrasi, le perifrasi. It refers to expressing an idea through more words than strictly necessary, used both as a rhetorical figure and in everyday speech to avoid a direct term. Learners sometimes confuse it with parafrasi (paraphrase), which is a restatement, not a circumlocution.

Examples

"Ha usato una perifrasi per evitare la parola tabù."

Natural Translation

He used a periphrasis to avoid the taboo word.

Literal Translation

He-has used a periphrasis to avoid the word taboo.

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