How do you pronounce ekphrasis?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛkfɹəsɪs/.

ekphrasis

/ˈɛkfɹəsɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.38 in modern English

Syllables: ekphra-sis
IPA: /ˈɛkfɹəsɪs/

Scrabble Score

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Meaning

noun

A clear, intense, self-contained argument or verbal description of an object, especially of an artwork.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"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."
"Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a good contender, the classic example of ekphrasis."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔκφρασις (ékphrasis, “description”), from ἐκφράζω (ekphrázō, “I describe”), from ἐκ (ek, “out, ex-”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I explain, point out”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: ἔκφρασις

Usage

Inflected Forms

ekphrases (plural) ecphrasis (alternative)

Derived Forms

ekphrasic ekphrastic

Frequently Paired Words

hypotyposis