apophasis
[ uh-pof-uh-sis ]
/ əˈpɒf ə sɪs /
noun
Rhetoric.
denial of one's intention to speak of a subject that is at the same time named or insinuated, as “I shall not mention Caesar's avarice, nor his cunning, nor his morality.”
Theology.
knowledge, understanding, or description of God through negative statements about qualities and characteristics that God does not possess, as "God is not confined by space or time."
See also negative theology.
Compare
cataphasis.
Origin of apophasis
OTHER WORDS FROM apophasis
ap·o·phat·ic [ap-uh-fat-ik] /ˌæp əˈfæt ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby apophasis
aponeurosis,
aponeurositis,
aponeurotic fibroma,
aponeurotomy,
apopemptic,
apophasis,
apophis,
apophony,
apophthegm,
apophyge,
apophyllite
British Dictionary definitions for apophatic
apophasis
/ (əˈpɒfəsɪs) /
noun
rhetoric
the device of mentioning a subject by stating that it will not be mentioned
I shall not discuss his cowardice or his treachery
Word Origin for apophasis
C17: via Latin from Greek: denial, from
apo- +
phanai to say