noun
- An explanation or clarification of a word or phrase by adding further words; a grammatical or rhetorical device in which a word or clause is restated or expanded for clarity.
Usage: formal; grammar and rhetoric; often used in biblical and classical textual analysis
Examples
- In the phrase 'my father, the doctor,' the appositive 'the doctor' serves as an epexegesis of 'my father.'
- The biblical commentator used epexegesis to explain the meaning of the original Greek text.
- The author employed epexegesis by restating the complex idea in simpler terms for the reader.
- Epexegesis is a common technique in legal writing, where terms are defined immediately after their introduction.
- The speaker's use of epexegesis—repeating the main point in different words—helped the audience understand the concept.