auxesis
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word auxesis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word auxesis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say auxesis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word auxesis you have here. The definition of the word auxesis will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofauxesis, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐξησις (auxēsis, “growth”), from αὐξάνειν (auxánein, “to grow”).
Noun
auxesis (countable and uncountable, plural auxeses)
- (rhetoric) A rhetorical device whereby the subject matter is made greater, particularly
- (rhetoric) Overstatement, hyperbole.
- 1577, Henry Peacham, Garden of Eloquence:
- Avxesis, when we vse a greater word for a lesse, or thus, when the word is greater then the thing is in deede.
- (rhetoric, obsolete) Arrangement of a series in ascending order.
- (rhetoric) Overstatement, hyperbole.
- (biology) Biological growth, (now usually restricted to) expansion or growth of an organism apart from that due to cellular division.
- 1842, R. Dunglison, Medical Lexicon:
- Auxesis, augmentation, increase.
- 1940 November 9, Nature, 618/1:
- Botanists do still distinguish between auxesis or growth by expansion, and merisis or growth by cell-multiplication.
- (chemistry) The condition of being auxetic
Synonyms
- (rhetorical increase): amplification, amplificatio, (good) spin
- (overstatement): See hyperbole
- (ascending series): See climax
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “overstatement”): See understatement
- (antonym(s) of “ascending series”): See catacosmesis
- (antonym(s) of “biological”): merisis
