antimetathesis
|an-ti-met-a-the-sis|
/ˌæn.tɪ.mɛˈθiː.sɪs/
reversal of order
Etymology
'antimetathesis' originates from Greek, specifically from elements 'anti-' and 'metathesis', where 'anti-' meant 'against, opposite' and 'metathesis' meant 'a transposition or change of place'.
'antimetathesis' was formed from Greek components (ancient Greek 'ἀντί-' + 'μετάθεσις'), passed into Late Latin/Scholastic use preserving the compound sense, and was adopted into modern English as the technical term 'antimetathesis'.
Initially it literally meant 'opposition to (or inverse) transposition', and over time it evolved into the specialized linguistic/rhetorical sense 'reversal of word or sound order' used in modern analysis.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a rhetorical or linguistic figure in which the order of words or phrases is reversed, often to create contrast or emphasis; closely related to antimetabole or chiasmus.
Antimetathesis can produce a striking effect, as in reversals that highlight contrast between two ideas.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/03 23:12