Périphrase

Periphrase, also spelled periphrase or periphrasis, is a rhetorical device in which a descriptive phrase is used in place of a single word or proper name. By naming something indirectly through its qualities or characteristics, the speaker or writer can add emphasis, nuance, or dignity. The term derives from Greek peri “around” and phrasein “to declare,” traveling through Latin and French forms before entering English.

Periphrase and periphrasis are often used interchangeably in English, though some scholars distinguish the two: periphrase as a shorter or more pointed circumlocution, and periphrasis as the broader technique of roundabout expression. In practice, the terms are frequently treated as synonymous.

Examples include phrases such as “the City of Light” for Paris, “the King of Rock and Roll” for Elvis Presley, or “the Great Emancipator” for Abraham Lincoln. In literary use, authors may employ periphrase to describe places, people, or objects by their attributes rather than by name, thereby shaping tone, register, or emphasis. Periphrase also appears in poetry and translation, where it can preserve meaning while foregrounding imagery or cultural context.

Usage notes indicate that periphrase can serve praise, wit, or tact, and may function as a stylistic ornament or a rhetorical strategy to avoid direct naming. Critics may view excessive periphrase as wordy, yet when executed with care it contributes precision, vividness, and rhetorical flair. Related concepts include circumlocution, epithet, antonomasia, and euphemism.