Wordsmith.org
Posted By: wwh litotes - 04/13/04 06:59 PM
Maybe I'm not the only one who keeps forgetting this.
Date: Sat Sep 25 00:01:37 EDT 1999
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--litotes
litotes (LI-tuh-teez, LIT-, li-TOH-teez) noun, plural litotes

A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in This is
no small problem.

[Greek litotes, from litos, plain.]



Posted By: wofahulicodoc litotes - 06/14/04 08:34 PM
litotes

...the word I keep looking for and forgetting - an "opposite" of hyperbole, as it were. Which is no great problem, but is a recurring minor aggravation...

Posted By: Faldage Re: litotes - 06/15/04 09:53 AM
I can barely remember any of those rhetorical figure terms. I wish I knew a good source for looking them up from meaning. The Forest is good but I never seem to be able to work with their categories or they end up being at odds with other sources.

http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm

Posted By: tsuwm Re: litotes - 06/15/04 02:22 PM
here's a short list (of 45) of the more useful(?) terms, which has the benefit of being searchable.
http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/rhetoric.html

Posted By: Faldage Re: short list - 06/15/04 04:11 PM
Wall, that's fine if you know the word and want to know what it means. It's when you know what it means, but don't know the word that's got me bumfuzzled.

Posted By: tsuwm Re: short list - 06/15/04 05:31 PM
which is why I mentioned the searchable (i.e., via a page find) aspect, if you use some key words.

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