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merismus. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
merismus, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
merismus in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
merismus you have here. The definition of the word
merismus will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
merismus, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek μερισμός (merismós, “a dividing”), derived from the Ancient Greek verb μερίζω (merízō, “to divide into parts”).
Pronunciation
Noun
merismus
- (rhetoric) A metonymic term to describe a type of synecdoche in which two parts of a thing, perhaps contrasting or complementary parts, are made to stand for the whole.
Usage notes
The term was generally used around in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. (It can be found used to describe both Shakespeare and Christian Reformation theologians by their contemporaries.) It then seems to have fallen into disuse, only being revived in the middle of the twentieth century.
References