TMESIS Definition & Meaning

tmesis

[ tuh-mee-sis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the interpolation of one or more words between the parts of a compound word, as be thou ware for beware.

tmesis

/ ˈmiːsɪs; təˈmiːsɪs /

noun

interpolation of a word or group of words between the parts of a compound word

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Other �y��vlog Forms

�ٳ��·�� [t, uh, -, met, -ik], adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of tmesis¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin �ٳ�ŧ��, from Greek �ٳ�ê�� “a cutting,” equivalent to �ٳ�ŧ- (variant stem of ��é��Ա𾱲� “to cut”) + -sis -sis

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of tmesis¹

C16: via Latin from Greek, literally: a cutting, from temnein to cut

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

What the grammarians called “tmesis,” the separation of the preposition from the verb with which it is compounded, is peculiar to Homer.

From

I could see that the figure called, I think, tmesis, or cutting, had been generously employed; the exuberances of the local correspondent had been pruned by a Fleet Street expert.

From

When accompanied by the preposition kita, "with," there is a tmesis of the preposition, and the pronouns are placed between its first and second syllable; e.g. vi, him''-ki-ni-ta, "with him."

From

The use of tmesis, asyndeton, anacoluthon, aposiopesis, hyperbaton, hyperbole, litotes, in Latin oratory and poetry.

From

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