apophasis
nounUK /əˈpɒf.ə.sɪs/ · US /əˈpɑf.ə.sɪs/
Etymology Via Late Latin apophasis from Ancient Greek ἀπόφασις (apóphasis, “denial, negation”) from ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from, off”) + φάσις (phásis, “statement, proposition”) from φημί (phēmí, “to speak”) from Proto-Hellenic *pʰā́mā from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂; whence Latin fārī, cognate to fame, fable.
1
Rhetoric An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned.
- Apophasis, affecting to conceal; What it would seem to hide, will yet reveal.1835, L[arret] Langley, “[Rhetorical Figures.] Apophasis.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 63:
2
Christianity, Human sciences, Lifestyle, Philosophy, Religion, Sciences, Theology A process of arriving at knowledge by statements of denial; particularly, developing a concept of God through negative assertions about his nature.
- Related terms
- apo-, -phasis, apophatic, apophatically, not to mention, to say nothing of