Polysyndeton
/ˌpɒliˈsɪn.dɪtɒn/noun
A rhetorical device that uses many conjunctions in close succession, especially where they would usually be omitted.
Did you know?Polysyndeton comes from Greek rhetoric, where repeating conjunctions could create a pounding, incantatory effect—proof that grammar has long been used like verbal magic.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πολυσύνδετον
“literally “much-bound together,” used for a style with many conjunctions”
Late Greek
Greek
πολύς
“many, much”
Late Greek
Greek
σύνδετον
“bound together; connected”
18th Century
English
polysyndeton
“a rhetorical term adopted into English from scholarly Latin/Greek usage”
Modern English
English
polysyndeton
“the use of multiple conjunctions in close succession”