What does chiasmus mean?

Definitions for chiasmus
kaɪˈæz məschi·as·mus

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word chiasmus.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. chiasmusnoun

    inversion in the second of two parallel phrases

Wiktionary

  1. chiasmusnoun

    An inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases.

  2. Etymology: From chiasmus, from χιασμός, from χιάζω, from χ

Wikipedia

  1. Chiasmus

    In rhetoric, chiasmus ( ky-AZ-məs) or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek χίασμα, "crossing", from the Greek χιάζω, chiázō, "to shape like the letter Χ"), is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of words".A similar device, antimetabole, also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses in an A-B-B-A configuration, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words.

ChatGPT

  1. chiasmus

    Chiasmus is a rhetorical or literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; in simple words, it is the repetition of ideas in an inverted sequence. It's often used for emphasis, complexity, or artistic effect.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Chiasmusnoun

    an inversion of the order of words or phrases, when repeated or subsequently referred to in a sentence

  2. Etymology: [NL., fr. Gr. chiasmo`s a placing crosswise, fr. chia`zein. See Chiasm.]

Wikidata

  1. Chiasmus

    In rhetoric, chiasmus is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Chiasmus was particularly popular both in Greek and in Latin literature, where it was used to articulate the balance of order within the text. As a popular example, many long and complex chiasmi have been found in Shakespeare and the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible. It is also found throughout the Book of Mormon. Today, chiasmus is applied fairly broadly to any "criss-cross" structure, although in classical rhetoric it was distinguished from other similar devices, such as the antimetabole. In its classical application, chiasmus would have been used for structures that do not repeat the same words and phrases, but invert a sentence's grammatical structure or ideas. The concept of chiasmus on a higher level, applied to motifs, turns of phrase, or whole passages, is called chiastic structure. The elements of simple chiasmus are often labelled in the form A B B A, where the letters correspond to grammar, words, or meaning. For example John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of chiasmus in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of chiasmus in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

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"chiasmus." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/chiasmus>.

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