Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Circumlocution"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Circumlocution \Cir`cum*lo*cu"tion\, n. [L. circumlocutio, fr.
circumloqui, -locutus, to make use of circumlocution; circum
+ loqui to speak. See {Loquacious}.]
The use of many words to express an idea that might be
expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language; a
periphrase.
the plain Billingsgate way of calling names . . . would
save abundance of time lost by circumlocution. --Swift.
{Circumlocution office}, a term of ridicule for a
governmental office where business is delayed by passing
through the hands of different officials.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
circumlocution
n 1: a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
[syn: {periphrasis}]
2: an indirect way of expressing something [syn: {indirect
expression}]
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