Paraphrasis
/ˌpærəˈfreɪsɪs/noun
A restatement of a text or passage in different words.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek rhetoric, where it described an explanatory rewording, not a mystical spell — but it still shows how ancient thinkers treated language as something you could reshape with precision.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
παράφρασις (paráphrasis)
“A paraphrase or explanatory restatement”
Late Latin
Latin
paraphrasis
“A paraphrase”
Middle French
French
paraphrase
“A paraphrase or explanation in other words”
Late Middle English
English
paraphrase
“A restatement in different words”
Modern English
English
paraphrase
“A restatement of a text or passage in different words”