periphrasis

Meaning

Noun

• The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".
• Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.
• The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a type of circumlocution).
• The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.

Related

Similar words

• circumlocution

Origin

• From Ancient Greek περίφρασις.