litotes
英 [la?'t??ti?z]
美[la?'totiz]
詞態(tài)變化
復(fù)數(shù):?litotes;
助記提示
1. from Greek litotes, literally "plainness, simplicity," from litos "smooth, plain, small, meager".
2. It is principally via double negatives. For example, rather than saying that something is attractive (or even very attractive), one might merely say it is "not unattractive".
3. Litotes is a form of understatement.
中文詞源
litotes 反敘法（用否定或較弱的證據(jù)加強(qiáng)表示肯定）來自希臘語litotes,平白，淺顯，來自PIE*slei,黏的，滑的，詞源同lime,slime,littoral.用于指語言學(xué)反敘法。
英文詞源
- litotes (n.)
- rhetorical figure in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its opposite, from Greek litotes, literally "plainness, simplicity," from litos "smooth, plain, small, meager," from PIE root *(s)lei- "slimy, sticky, slippery" (hence "smooth"); see slime (n.).