Langimage
English

anacolutha

|an-a-co-lu-tha|

C2

/ˌænəˈkəluːθə/

(anacoluthon)

break in sequence

Base FormPluralPlural
anacoluthonanacoluthaanacoluthons
Etymology
Etymology Information

'anacoluthon' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anakolouthon,' where 'an-' meant 'not' and 'akolouthos' meant 'following.'

Historical Evolution

'anakolouthon' transformed into the Latin word 'anacoluthon,' and eventually became the modern English word 'anacoluthon.'

Meaning Changes

Initially, it meant 'not following,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a break in grammatical sequence.'

Meanings by Part of Speech

Noun 1

a construction involving a break in grammatical sequence, often used for rhetorical effect.

The sentence 'While in the garden, the door banged shut.' is an example of an anacoluthon.

Synonyms

Last updated: 2025/07/26 06:06