Epistrophe
/ɪˈpɪstrəfi/noun
A rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Did you know?Epistrophe comes from Greek rhetoric, where repeating the same ending was treated almost like verbal enchantment—language made to hit the mind again and again.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐπιστροφή (epistrophḗ)
“a turning toward, a turning back; in rhetoric, repetition at the end of clauses”
Late Latin
Latin
epistropha
“a rhetorical repetition at the end”
Middle French
French
épistrophe
“a rhetorical figure of repeated endings”
16th Century
English
epistrophe
“a rhetorical device using repeated endings”
Modern English
English
epistrophe
“repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses”
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