| auxesis |
| Definition -
A figure of speech where emphasis is added by referring to a thing in very exagerated terms.
Notes: 1. It also denotes the "arranging words so that they are ordered by increasing in force." |
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Example - I've been waiting for eons. |
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Etymology - The word means "increase" or "amplification" in Greek. |
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Oxford English Dictionary - Its first citation in sense is from 1577: "By this figure, auxesis, the orator doth make a low dwarf a tall fellow…of pebble stones, pearls; and of thistles, mighty oaks." (H. Peacham Gard. Eloq. N. iiij (T.)) |
