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Dec 7, 2010
This week's themeWhat to avoid when using words
This week's words
pleonasm
apophasis
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargapophasis
PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-POF-uh-sis) 
MEANING:
noun: Allusion to something by denying it will be said. ETYMOLOGY:
Via Latin from Greek apophanai (to say no), from apo- (away from) + phanai (to say). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bha- (to speak) that is also the source of fable, phone, fame, boon, and infant. First recorded use: 1657. USAGE:
"There is almost no complaint that Ralph Nader and Dear Abby won't listen to, but I don't remember either of them ever tried to do anything about a dangling participle or a badly mixed metaphor, not to mention damnable apophasis."Jack Smith; Hey, Watch That Language!; Milwaukee Journal (Wisconsin); Nov 11, 1974.
"It's an Afghan apophasis. By claiming he does not want to participate in a political process that is hopelessly overrun with corruption, Abdullah is acknowledging just the opposite -- that he very much wants power and influence in the Afghan political realm." Teddy Minch; Well Now What?; The Tufts Daily (Medford, Massachusetts); Nov 4, 2009.
Explore "apophasis" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
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