catastasis means in classical drama, the second and penultimate section, in which action is heightened for the catastrophe. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
catastasis is pronounced /kəˈtæstəsɪs/.
Why “catastasis” is a great word
CATASTASIS — [Noun] In classical drama, the penultimate scene of heightened action before the final disaster; in rhetoric, the part of a speech stating the subject to be discussed. From Ancient Greek κατάστασις (katástasis, "settling, appointment"). Unlike "catastrophe" (which denotes the final, disastrous resolution) or "protasis" (which is the introductory scene-setting), catastasis is the taut, suspended moment of appointment—the gathering of forces before the collapse. It is the held breath before the messenger runs onstage, the prosecutor’s deliberate laying-out of the charge, and the tightening of the noose before the drop—the precise, brittle order constructed solely to be shattered.
noun
- In classical drama, the second and penultimate section, in which action is heightened for the catastrophe.“It doubles itself in the middle of his life, reflects itself in another, repeats itself, protasis, epitasis, catastasis, catastrophe.”
- The part of a speech that states the subject to be discussed.