chiasmus

[ kahy-az-muh s ]
/ kaɪˈæz məs /

noun, plural chi·as·mi [kahy-az-mahy] /kaɪˈæz maɪ/. Rhetoric.

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, as in “He went to the country, to the town went she.”

Origin of chiasmus

1870–75; < Greek chiasmós, equivalent to chi chi1 + -asmos masculine noun suffix, akin to -asma; see chiasma

Words nearby chiasmus

chiapas, chiari's syndrome, chiaroscuro, chiasma, chiasmatypy, chiasmus, chiastic, chiastolite, chiaus, chiayi, chib

Example sentences from the Web for chiasmus

  • For the more complicated forms of chiasmus consult Ngelsbach, Stil.

    Cato Maior de Senectute |Marcus Tullius Cicero

  • There is chiasmus here, since privata is contrasted with honoratis and quieta with claris.

    Cato Maior de Senectute |Marcus Tullius Cicero

British Dictionary definitions for chiasmus

chiasmus
/ (kaɪˈæzməs) /

noun plural -mi (-maɪ)

rhetoric reversal of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases he came in triumph and in defeat departs

Derived forms of chiasmus

chiastic (kaɪˈæstɪk), adjective

Word Origin for chiasmus

C19: from New Latin, from Greek khiasmos crisscross arrangement; see chiasma