ekphrasis
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἔκφρασις (ékphrasis, “description”), from ἐκφράζω (ekphrázō, “I describe”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, ex-”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I explain, point out”).
Pronunciation
Noun
ekphrasis (countable and uncountable, plural ekphrases)
- (rhetoric) A clear, intense, self-contained argument or verbal description of an object, especially of an artwork.
- 2004, Daniel Donoghue, Old English Literature, Blackwell, published 2004, page 75:
- One [trope] is ekphrasis, the literary description of a work of art, the most famous example of which may be the careful depiction of the shield of Achilles in book 18 of the Iliad.
Derived terms
Translations
description of an object or artwork