perifrástico

Perifrástico is a linguistic term originating from Spanish, used to describe a construction or expression that employs multiple words to convey a meaning that could otherwise be expressed with a single word or a more direct form. The term derives from "perífrasis," meaning circumlocution or periphrasis, indicating a stylistic or semantic approach where a phrase or set of words is used instead of a concise term.

In language use, perifrástico constructions often serve to add nuance, politeness, emphasis, or clarity. They are common in various languages, including Spanish, where they frequently appear in grammatical forms such as periphrastic tenses, which combine auxiliary verbs with main verbs to express specific aspects or modalities. For example, in Spanish, "está haciendo" (is doing) is a periphrastic construction used to form the present continuous tense.

Perifrástico can also refer to stylistic devices in literature and rhetoric that involve circumlocution to avoid direct expressions, often used for poetic or rhetorical effect. Additionally, in certain technical or specialized contexts, perifrásticos might denote elaborated descriptions that substitute succinct terminology for clearer or more precise explanations.

While widely used across languages, the term is particularly associated with Spanish and other Romance languages that employ periphrastic structures extensively. Understanding perifrástico is essential for grasping how languages can vary in expressing tense, aspect, modality, and rhetorical emphasis through multi-word constructions rather than single lexical items.