procatalepsis
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek προ- (pro-, “before”) + κατάληψις (katálēpsis, “act of seizing”), via Latin procatalepsis (“anticipating and answering an objection”).
| Examples (rhetoric) |
|---|
It is difficult to see how a pilot boat could be completely immune to capsizing or plunging, but pilot boat design criteria must meet the needs of the industry and pilotage authorities. |
Noun
procatalepsis
- (rhetoric) A rhetorical exercise in which the speaker raises an objection to his own argument and then immediately answers it, in an attempt to strengthen the argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments.
- (rhetoric) Rebuttal of anticipated objections.
- (grammar) Left dislocation.
Synonyms
- (rebuttal of anticipated objections): prebuttal, prolepsis
Related terms
- procataleptic
See also
- straw man