litotes

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: lītō'tēz, IPA^(key): /laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/
• Hyphenation: li-to-tes

Etymology

From French litote, from Ancient Greek λιτότης (litótēs), from λιτός (litós, “simple”).

Noun

litotes (uncountable)

1. (rhetoric) A figure of speech in which the speaker emphasizes the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite; a figure of speech in which understatement is used with negation to express a positive attribute; a form of irony

Related terms

• litote

Translations

rhetoric: emphasizing a statement by denying its opposite

• Catalan: lítote f
• Esperanto: litoto, maltroigo
• Finnish: litoteesi
• German: Litotes (de) f
• Greek: λιτότητα (el) (litótita)
• Ido: litoto (io)
• Irish: liotóid f

• Italian: litote (it) f
• Manx: fo-raa m
• Portuguese: litotes f
• Russian: лито́та (ru) f (litóta)
• Spanish: litote (es)

See also

• auxesis
• meiosis
• paradiastole
• double negative

Anagrams

• toilets

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French

Noun

litotes ?

1. plural form of litote

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Portuguese

Noun

litotes f (plural litotes)

1. (rhetoric) litotes (an understatement employed for rhetoric effect)