chiasmus
/kaɪˈæzməs/ noun
Forms chiasmi chiasmuses
Synonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin chiasmus, borrowed from Ancient Greek χιασμός (khiasmós), from χῑᾰ́ζω (khīắzō, “to mark with an X”) + -μός (-mós).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An inversion of the order of words or phrases, when repeated or subsequently referred to in a sentence; thus, If e'er to bless thy sons My voice or hands deny, These hands let useful skill forsake, This voice in silence die. Dwight.
Etymology [NL., fr. Gr. Chiasm.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “chiasmus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details