Auxesis
/ɔːɡˈziːsɪs/noun
A rhetorical figure that intensifies or magnifies an idea, often by arranging words or statements in ascending force.
Did you know?In ancient Greek rhetoric, auxesis described deliberate amplification—a verbal technique for making praise, blame, danger, or emotion seem to expand in the listener’s mind.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eug-
“To increase, enlarge, or strengthen”
Ancient Greek
Greek
αὐξάνω (auxanō)
“I increase, grow, or make greater”
Ancient Greek
Greek
αὔξησις (auxēsis)
“Growth, increase, or rhetorical amplification”
Classical Greek rhetoric
Greek
αὔξησις
“The intensifying or magnifying of an argument or expression”
16th Century
English
auxesis
“A rhetorical figure involving gradual increase in force or emphasis”
Modern English
English
auxesis
“Rhetorical intensification; in biology, growth or enlargement”