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periphrastic
[ per-uh-fras-tik ]
adjective
- circumlocutory; roundabout.
- Grammar. noting a construction of two or more words having the same syntactic function as an inflected word, as of Mr. Smith in the son of Mr. Smith, which is equivalent to Mr. Smith's in Mr. Smith's son.
periphrastic
/ ˌpɛrɪˈfræstɪk /
adjective
- employing or involving periphrasis
- expressed in two or more words rather than by an inflected form of one: used esp of a tense of a verb where the alternative element is an auxiliary verb. For example, He does go and He will go involve periphrastic tenses
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Derived Forms
- ˌperiˈphrastically, adverb
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Other Words From
- peri·phrasti·cal·ly adverb
- unper·i·phrastic adjective
- unper·i·phrasti·cal·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
Origin of periphrastic1
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Example Sentences
This was supplied, in the common periphrastic manner, by the help of the preposition and the article.
When the present is found not to be distinctive enough, periphrastic forms come in.
This tendency, together with periphrastic instead of verbal conjugation, continued to the end.
In conversation they generally use a periphrastic epithet, such as the All-Good.
As poetry it does not measure up to Aasen; as translation it is periphrastic, arbitrary, not at all faithful.
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