Metastrophe
/məˈtæs.trə.fi/noun
A reversal, change of direction, or rhetorical turning of expression.
Did you know?Metastrophe comes from the same Greek turning imagery behind rhetorical terms such as apostrophe and anastrophe, where language itself is imagined as changing direction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*strebʰ-
“To turn, twist, or bend; the reconstructed root associated with the later Greek turning vocabulary.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
strephein (στρέφειν)
“To turn, twist, or turn around.”
Classical Greek
Greek
metastrophē (μεταστροφή)
“A turning about, reversal, or change of direction; meta- indicates change or transition.”
Late Greek and Latin
Greek/Latin
metastrophē / metastrophe
“A rhetorical or conceptual reversal and change of course.”
Early Modern English
English
metastrophe
“A rare learned term for reversal, transformation, or a rhetorical change of direction.”
Modern English
English
metastrophe
“An uncommon word describing a reversal or turning point, especially in rhetoric or abstract discussion.”
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