pleonasm

[ plee-uh-naz-uh m ]
/ ˈpli əˌnæz əm /

noun

the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy.
an instance of this, as free gift or true fact.
a redundant word or expression.

Origin of pleonasm

1580–90; < Late Latin pleonasmus < Greek pleonasmós redundancy, surplus, derivative of pleonázein to be or have more than enough, itself derivative of pleíōn more (see pleo-)

OTHER WORDS FROM pleonasm

ple·o·nas·tic, adjective ple·o·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for pleonasm

British Dictionary definitions for pleonasm

pleonasm
/ (ˈpliːəˌnæzəm) /

noun rhetoric

the use of more words than necessary or an instance of this, such as a tiny little child
a word or phrase that is superfluous

Derived forms of pleonasm

pleonastic, adjective pleonastically, adverb

Word Origin for pleonasm

C16: from Latin pleonasmus, from Greek pleonasmos excess, from pleonazein to be redundant

Medical definitions for pleonasm

pleonasm
[ plēə-năz′əm ]

n.

An excess in the number or size of parts.