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  1. asyndeton love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. The omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used, as in "Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,/Shrunk to this little measure?” ( Shakespeare).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In rhetoric, a figure of speech consisting in the omission of connectives, as in the following passage:
  2. n. It is the opposite of polysyndeton, which is a multiplication of connectives.

Wiktionary

  1. n. rhetoric A stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of words, phrases, clauses.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Rhet.) A figure which omits the connective. It stands opposed to polysyndeton.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the omission of conjunctions where they would normally be used

Etymologies

  1. From Ancient Greek ἀσύνδετον (asundeton, "unconnected"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Late Latin, from Greek asundeton, from neuter of asundetos, without conjunctions : a-, not; see a-1 + sundetos, bound together (from sundein, to bind together : sun-, syn- + dein, to bind). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “W. Sean McLaughlin, of Alexandria, Virginia, wrote, I was immediately inspired by the arcane grammatical term asyndeton [defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as 'the omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used'] and thought minor modifications might yield the right meaning: a-senditon.”

    Word Fugitives

  • “[23] The "asyndeton" would seem to mark a pause, unless some words have dropped out.”

    The Economist

  • “This figure often occurs public address with others such as antithesis, anaphora, asyndeton, climax, epistrophe and symploce.”

    Rhetorical Figures in Sound: Parallelism

  • “Therefore the figure asyndeton, whereby conjunctions are omitted, is highly commended by writers of rhetoric.”

    Essays and Miscellanies

  • “Grant points out to me the asyndeton following _quaere ... sintne_.”

    The Last Poems of Ovid

  • “According to the manuscripts the preceding line ends with VTAR; I have printed Heinsius 'VSVS, since there would otherwise be an asyndeton between _utar_ and _aspiciam_.”

    The Last Poems of Ovid

  • “= The asyndeton in this distich is odd, given the preceding series of connectives.”

    The Last Poems of Ovid

  • “Lot makes his summons urgent: "Rise, go forth" -- effective asyndeton.”

    Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1

  • “The asyndeton of the last clause marks the writer's (or speaker's) indignation.”

    Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1

  • “A certain abruptness characterizes the style at this point, first, by the use of the asyndeton: "morning came" or "became light" ( 'or); then, by the use of successive perfects, also in v. 4 (K.S. 119).”

    Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1

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Lists

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Comments

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  • bojan "In some ways, he was this town at its best--strong, hard-driving, working feverishly, pushing, building, driven by ambitions so big they seemed Texas-boastful."
    (Mike Royko, "A Tribute") Jul 14, 2011

  • knitandpurl "By analyzing this "modern art of everyday expression" as it appears in accounts of spatial practices, J.-F. Augoyard discerns in it two especially fundamental stylistic figures: synecdoche and asyndeton."
    The Practice of Everyday Life by Michel de Certeau, p 101 Mar 24, 2011

  • hernesheir cf. polysyndeton, "Two all-beef patties and special sauce and lettuce and cheese and pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun" might be called a Mcpolysyndeton. Jan 17, 2009

  • hernesheir Peas, beans, barley, corn, clawfoot tubs, ideas. Jan 17, 2009

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‘asyndeton’ has been looked up 5314 times, loved by 8 people, added to 33 lists, commented on 5 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.