anaphora

English

WOTD – 27 February 2006

From Ancient Greek ἀναφορά (anaphorá, “a carrying back”), from ἀνά (aná, “up”) + φέρω (phérō, “I carry”).

anaphora (countable and uncountable, plural anaphoras or anaphora)

Examples (rhetoric)
They didn't speak. They didn't stand. They didn't even look up when I came in. “Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!” Shakespeare, King John (II i.)

Examples (expression referring to a preceding expression)
That's John's car. He [referring to "John"] won't want to see you sitting on it [referring to the car]. John had a drink. So did [referring to "had a drink"] Mark. John had been feeling rather dehydrated. Mark was even more so [referring to "dehydrated"].

(rhetoric) The repetition of a phrase at the beginning of phrases, sentences, or verses, used for emphasis.
Antonyms: epiphora, epistrophe
- [1835, L[arret] Langley, A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster: Printed by C. White, Baxter-Gate, →OCLC, page 73:
  Anaphora elegantly begins
  With the same word or phrase successive lines.]
(linguistics) An expression that refers to a preceding expression.
Antonym: cataphora

Hypernym: endophora

Coordinate terms: exophora, homophora
(Christianity) The most solemn part of the Divine Liturgy or the Mass during which the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as body and blood of Christ.
Synonym: Eucharistic Prayer

Meronyms: epiclesis, preface, Sanctus, sursum corda

In linguistics, the terms anaphor and anaphora are sometimes used interchangeably, although in some theories, a distinction is made between them. See the Wikipedia article.

repetition of a phrase used for emphasis

linguistics: An expression that can refer to virtually any referent

linguistics: expression that refers to another expression

Christianity

anaphora