Antimetaboles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rhetorical device involving the repetition of a phrase in reverse order to create contrast or highlight a point; a specific form of chiasmus where the structure enhances meaning through inversion; a technique used in writing and speech to create memorable phrases by rearranging words to emphasize oppositional ideas
2. A figure of speech defined by the repetition of a phrase's elements in reverse order, enhancing the rhetorical impact; a nuanced inversion that can deepen engagement with the audience's understanding; an effective style in persuasive language that utilizes symmetry in expression
3. A linguistic strategy characterized by the reversal of the components of a statement to draw attention to an idea; a literary device that adds depth and resonance through its mirrored structure; a way to craft compelling argumentation through the clever rearrangement of words to highlight distinct perspectives

Etymology: Antimetabole comes from ancient Greek rhetoric. It is built from "anti-", meaning "against" or "in return", and "metabole", meaning "a throwing over" or "change", from "metaballein", "to throw across" or "to change". The name describes a phrase whose terms are repeated in reverse order, so the second half seems to throw the first back at itself. Classical rhetoricians catalogued the device under Greek names, and Latin writers adopted many of these terms for their own handbooks. English borrowed the word through Latin "antimetabole" as a technical term for the figure, rather than as an everyday word, so it stayed mostly within the vocabulary of rhetoric and grammar teaching. The best-known example is John F. Kennedy's line "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," which reverses the pattern of "you" and "country" across its two halves.

Synonyms: chiasmus, palindromes (rhetorical), reversals