Deixis
/ˈdeɪk.sɪs/noun
The use of words like this, that, here, and now to point to context-dependent things.
Did you know?Deixis comes from Greek deixis, meaning “a pointing” or “showing,” from the same ancient root behind words for “demonstrate” and “indicate,” so language literally has built-in magic for directing attention.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deik-
“to show, point out”
Ancient Greek
Greek
deiknunai / deixis
“to show; a pointing or showing”
Latin
Latin
dicere
“to say, tell, declare”
Old French
Old French
deis / deictique
“learned forms influenced by Greek and Latin scholarly usage”
Modern English
English
deixis
“linguistics term for context-dependent pointing expressions”