ekphrasis
English
Alternative forms
- ecphrasis
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἔκφρασις (ékphrasis, “description”), from ἐκφράζω (ekphrázō, “I describe”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, ex-”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I explain, point out”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɛkfɹəsɪs/
Noun
ekphrasis (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, 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.
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Translations
description of an object or artwork
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