apophasis
UK /əˈpɒf.ə.sɪs/ · US /əˈpɑf.ə.sɪs/ noun
Forms apophases
- noun (rhetoric) An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned.
- noun (Christianity, philosophy, theology) A process of arriving at knowledge by statements of denial; particularly, developing a concept of God through negative assertions about his nature.
Synonyms
paralipsis parasiopesis praeteritio preterition apophatic theology via negativa
Antonyms
Etymology
Via Late Latin apophasis from Ancient Greek ἀπόφασις (apóphasis, “denial, negation”) from ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from, off”) + φάσις (phásis, “statement, proposition”) from φημί (phēmí, “to speak”) from Proto-Hellenic *pʰā́mā from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂; whence Latin fārī, cognate to fame, fable.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A figure by which a speaker formally declines to take notice of a favorable point, but in such a manner as to produce the effect desired. [For example, see Mark Antony's oration. Shak., Julius Cæsar, iii. 2.]
Etymology [Gr. (Rhet.) Defn: A figure by which a speaker formally declines to take notice of a favorable point, but in such a manner as to produce the effect desired. [For example, see Mark Antony's oration. Shak., Julius Cæsar, iii. 2.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “apophasis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details