peripeteia means A sudden reversal of fortune as a plot point in Classical tragedy. It carries an Arena rating of 1990, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, peripeteia ranks #23 of 42,752 for Qualifying, #380 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #403 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #450 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
peripeteia is pronounced /pɛɹɪpɪˈtɪə/.
Why “peripeteia” is a great word
A sudden reversal of fortune or circumstances, especially as a crucial plot element in drama or narrative. From the Ancient Greek περιπέτεια (peripéteia), from περιπίπτω (peripíptō, 'to fall around, change suddenly'), itself from περί (perí, 'around') and πίπτω (píptō, 'to fall'); first recorded in English use between 1585 and 1595. Unlike anagnorisis, which is the chilling moment of a character’s recognition, or climax, which is the peak of narrative tension, peripeteia is the violent pivot of the plot itself—the engine of the fall. It is the messenger arriving too late, the trusted friend revealed as the traitor, or the lottery ticket found in the gutter the day after the draw. It is the hinge upon which a fate swings, proving that the ground beneath one’s feet was never solid, only waiting to turn.
Etymology
From Late Latin peripetia, and its source Ancient Greek περιπέτεια (peripéteia), from περιπίπτω (peripíptō, “to change suddenly”), from περί (perí, “round, around, about”) + the stem of πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”).
noun
- A sudden reversal of fortune as a plot point in Classical tragedy.
- Any sudden change in circumstances; a crisis.e.g.“Once more I was a man in a myth, incapable of understanding it, but somehow aware that understanding it meant it must continue, however sinister its peripeteia.” — 1965, John Fowles, The Magus:
- A turning point in psychosocial development.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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