Tropos
/ˈtroʊ.pɒs/noun
A turning, way, or manner; in rhetoric, a figurative use of words.
Did you know?In ancient rhetoric, a tropos was literally a “turn” of language, and that same root also gave English words for turning points, styles, and even the turning zone of the Earth: the tropics.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*trep-
“to turn, twist”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τροπή (tropḗ) / τρόπος (trópos)
“a turn, way, manner; later a figure of speech”
Classical Latin
Latin
tropus
“a rhetorical figure or turn of phrase”
Middle English
English
trop(e)
“a figure of speech; an allegorical or metaphorical use”
Modern English
English
trope
“a figurative or recurring theme, motif, or device”