aposiopesis

English

Etymology

From Latin aposiopesis, from Ancient Greek ἀποσιώπησις (aposiṓpēsis), from ἀποσιωπάω (aposiōpáō, “be silent”), from ἀπό (apó, “off, from”) + σιωπάω (siōpáō, “to be silent”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌæpəsaɪəˈpiːsɪs/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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• Hyphenation: apo‧si‧o‧pe‧sis

Noun

aposiopesis (countable and uncountable, plural aposiopeses)

1. (rhetoric) An abrupt breaking-off in speech, often indicated in print using an ellipsis (…) or an em dash (—).

   Synonym: (obsolete) reticence

   • 1759, [Laurence Sterne], chapter VI, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 2nd (1st London) edition, volume II, London: R and J Dodsley , published 1760, →OCLC, page 123:

     —"My ſiſter, mayhap," quoth my uncle Toby, "does not chooſe to let a man come ſo near her ****" Make this daſh—'tis an Apoſiopeſis.—Take the daſh away, and write Backſide,—'tis Bawdy.

   • 1835, L Langley, A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, , Doncaster: Printed by C. White, Baxter-Gate, →OCLC, page 57:

     Aposiopesis leaves imperfect sense;
     And, sometimes, such a pause speaks eloquence.

   • 1911, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson:

     “If you are not—” The aposiopesis was icy.

   • 1938, Samuel Beckett, Murphy, London: George Routledge & Sons, OCLC 939632162; republished New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, 1957, OCLC 855435111, page 164:

     “Have fire in this garret before night or—” / He stopped because he could not go on. It was an aposiopesis of the purest kind.

   • 1982, John Fowles, Mantissa, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN:

     This somewhat abrupt ending (or aposiopesis) is caused by a previous movement from the figure on the bed.

Hypernyms

• brachylogy

Translations

See also

• adynaton
• anapodoton
• ellipsis
• or else

References

• Silva Rhetoricae

Further reading

• “aposiopesis”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• aposiopesis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia