anacampsis means A figure of speech in which the speaker returns to the original subject after a digression. It carries an Arena rating of 1700, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, anacampsis ranks #334 of 13,223 for Most Ingenious Words, #410 of 13,223 for Most Storied Words, #510 of 13,223 for The Improbable, #1,108 of 13,223 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
anacampsis is pronounced /ˌænəˈkæmpsɪs/.
Why “anacampsis” is a great word
A rhetorical figure describing the return to the original subject after a digression. From Ancient Greek ἀνάκαμψις (anákampsis), from ἀνά (ana, "back, again") + κάμψις (kampsis, "bend, curve"). Unlike 'digression,' which names the departure, or 'anadiplosis,' which links clauses through echo, anacampsis is the formal name for the structural homecoming. It is the orator taking a winding path to land back at his starting thesis, the professor clearing his throat to say, 'But to return to our original point,' or the essayist tying a wandering observation to the thesis from which it sprang—a quiet, grateful surrender to the gravity of what matters most.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀνάκαμψις (anákampsis). By surface analysis, ana- (“back, again”) + -campsis (“bend, curve”).
noun
- A figure of speech in which the speaker returns to the original subject after a digression.
- Reflection (of light or sound).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- anadiplosis 84% match — A figure of speech in which a word or phrase used at the end of a clause or expression is repeated near the beginning of the next clause or expression. vs anacampsis →
- epanadiplosis 84% match — A figure of speech by which the same word is used both at the beginning and at the end of a sentence. vs anacampsis →
- epanalepsis 83% match — The repetition of the same word or clause after intervening matter. vs anacampsis →
- epanodos 83% match — The repetition of a sequence of words or phrases in reverse order. vs anacampsis →
- mesodiplosis 82% match — The repetition of terms within successive sentences vs anacampsis →
- digress 82% match — To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking. vs anacampsis →
- symploce 81% match — The repetition of one word or phrase at the beginning and another word or phrase at the end of successive phrases or clauses. vs anacampsis →
- amphidiorthosis 81% match — A figure in which the speaker corrects or qualifies both what has been said and the hearer's potential reaction; a double correction that prevents offense or shock . vs anacampsis →