circumlocutory
/sɝ.kəm.loʊˈkjuː.tɚ.i/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
25
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
6
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Example Sentences
- "1727, Jonathan Swift (attributed), Martinus Scriblerus, or the Art of Sinking In Poetry Periphrase is another great aid to prolixity; being a diffused circumlocutory manner of expressing a known idea, which should be so mysteriously couched, as to give the reader the pleasure of guessing what it is, that the author can possibly mean; and a strange surprise, when he finds it."
- "Rachel's talks with the vicar were frequent; and poor little Mrs. William Wylder, who knew not the reason of his visits, fell slowly, and to the good man's entire bewilderment, into a chronic jealousy. It expressed itself enigmatically; it was circumlocutory, sad, and mysterious."
- "Another common type of error is a circumlocutory error, when the patient describes the item in several words (e.g., describing a beaver as "an animal that eats trees")."
Etymology
From circumlocution + -ory; compare Medieval Latin circumlocūtōrius from Classical Latin circumlocūtiō.
Word Breakdown
- Root: circumlocūtōrius
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /sɝ.kəm.loʊˈkjuː.tɚ.i/
- British English: /sɜː.kəm.ləʊˈkjuː.tə.ɹi/
Inflected Forms
more circumlocutory (comparative)
most circumlocutory (superlative)