chiasmus

[ kahy-az-muhs ]

noun,plural chi·as·mi [kahy-az-mahy]. /kaɪˈæz maɪ/. Rhetoric.
  1. a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, as in “He went to the country, to the town went she.”

Origin of chiasmus

1
1870–75; <Greek chiasmós, equivalent to chichi1 + -asmos masculine noun suffix, akin to -asma;see chiasma

Words Nearby chiasmus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chiasmus in a sentence

  • There is chiasmus here, since privata is contrasted with honoratis and quieta with claris.

    Cato Maior de Senectute | Marcus Tullius Cicero
  • For the more complicated forms of chiasmus consult Ngelsbach, Stil.

    Cato Maior de Senectute | Marcus Tullius Cicero

British Dictionary definitions for chiasmus

chiasmus

/ (kaɪˈæzməs) /


nounplural -mi (-maɪ)
  1. rhetoric reversal of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases: he came in triumph and in defeat departs

Origin of chiasmus

1
C19: from New Latin, from Greek khiasmos crisscross arrangement; see chiasma

Derived forms of chiasmus

  • chiastic (kaɪˈæstɪk), adjective

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