Metaphrasing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of restating written material to maintain its core meaning
2. A method of translating or reinterpreting text while preserving its original intent
3. Expressing content in different words while keeping the original sense intact

Etymology: "Metaphrasing" is the present participle of "metaphrase," a verb meaning to restate a text in different words. The verb traces to Ancient Greek "metaphrazomai," which literally meant "consider after" or "explain by going over again," built from "meta," meaning after or beyond, and "phrazein," to point out or explain. The Greek sense of going over something again in order to make it clear gives the modern idea of rewording a passage in other terms. The English "metaphrase" is a much later borrowing from that Greek root, and its prefix is easy to misread. Many people assume the "meta-" here carries the modern sense of self-reference, as in "metafiction," but the prefix is simply the Greek "after" or "across," so the word describes a change in wording rather than commentary on the text itself.

Synonyms: paraphrasing, rewording, translating, interpreting