apophasis
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apophasis
- /əˈpɒf.ə.sɪs/ UK
- /əˈpɑf.ə.sɪs/ US
Where it comes from
Via Late Latin apophasis from Ancient Greek ἀπόφασις (apóphasis, “denial, negation”) from ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from, off”) + φάσις (phásis, “statement, proposition”) from φημί (phēmí, “to speak”) from Proto-Hellenic *pʰā́mā from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂; whence Latin fārī, cognate to fame, fable.
noun apophases
-
An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned.
Apophasis, affecting to conceal;
What it would seem to hide, will yet reveal.
Similar: paralipsis, parasiopesis, praeteritio, preterition
-
A process of arriving at knowledge by statements of denial; particularly, developing a concept of God through negative assertions about his nature.
Similar: apophatic theology, via negativa · Opposite: cataphasis, via affirmativa
Translations
Every language
noun allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned
| Español | paralipsis, preterición |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 陽否陰述 /阳否阴述 yángfǒuyīnshù |
| Português | apófase |
| Deutsch | Paralipse, Praeteritio |
| Русский | апофа́зия apofázija |
Talk about this word "apophasis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/apophasis. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. apophasis. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/apophasis "apophasis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/apophasis.Cite this
@misc{apophasis_2026,
title = {apophasis},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/apophasis},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
