anaphora

2 definitions found

anaphora - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  anaphora \a*naph"o*ra\ ([.a]*n[a^]f"[-o]*r[.a]), n. [L., fr. Gr.
     'anafora`, fr. 'anafe`rein to carry up or back; 'ana` +
     fe`rein to carry.] (Rhet.)
     1. A repetition of a word or of words at the beginning of two
        or more successive clauses.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The use of a substitute word, such as a pronoun, in
        reference to a something already mentioned in a discourse;
        also, the relation between the substitute word and its
        antecedent. It is contrasted with cataphora, the use of
        a pronoun for a word or topic not yet mentioned.
  
     Note: Thus, in the sentence "John was tall but he was not
           very heavy." the "he" is an anaphora for John, or an
           anaphoric reference to John.
           [PJC]

anaphora - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  anaphora
      n 1: using a pronoun or similar word instead of repeating a word
           used earlier
      2: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive
         clauses [syn: epanaphora, anaphora]