proleptic

American  

[proh-lep-tik] / proʊˈlɛp tɪk /

Sometimes proleptical

adjective

1. (of a date) retroactively calculated using a later calendar than the one used at the time.

   To make comparisons more simple, all dates are shown using the proleptic Gregorian calendar—that is, the modern Western calendar extrapolated into the past.

2. involving or characterized by prolepsis, the anticipatory use of arguments, adjectives, etc..

   The proleptic idiom “to be dead meat” uses a present-tense description to suggest one’s future doom.

3. anticipatory; foreshadowing.

   The proleptic detail of the borrowed scythe clearly reveals that the character’s life on stage will be of short duration.

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Other Word Forms

• proleptically adverb

Etymology

Origin of proleptic

First recorded in 1655–65; prolep(sis) ( def. ) + -tic ( def. )