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cataphora

[ kuh-taf-er-uh ]

noun

, Grammar.
  1. the use of a word or phrase to refer to a following word or group of words, as the use of the phrase as follows.


cataphora

/ kəˈtæfərə; ˌkætəˈfɒrɪk /

noun

  1. grammar the use of a word such as a pronoun that has the same reference as a word used subsequently in the same discourse Compare anaphora
“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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Derived Forms

  • cataphoric, adjective
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Other Words From

  • cat·a·phor·ic [kat-, uh, -, fawr, -ik, -, for, -], adjective
  • cata·phori·cal·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cataphora1

from cata- + Greek pherein to bear
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Example Sentences

Engineers and linguists at Cataphora, an information-sifting company based in Silicon Valley, have their software mine documents for the activities and interactions of people — who did what when, and who talks to whom.

“It doesn’t use keywords at all,” said Elizabeth Charnock, Cataphora’s founder.

The Cataphora software can also recognize the sentiment in an e-mail message — whether a person is positive or negative, or what the company calls “loud talking” — unusual emphasis that might give hints that a document is about a stressful situation.

“You tend to split a lot fewer infinitives when you think the F.B.I. might be reading your mail,” said Steve Roberts, Cataphora’s chief technology officer.

For Neil Fraser, a lawyer at Milberg, a law firm based in New York, the Cataphora software provides a way to better understand the internal workings of corporations he sues, particularly when the real decision makers may be hidden from view.

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cataphasiscataphoresis