Pleonasm

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpliː.əˌnæz.əm/

Definitions

1. The use of more language than necessary to convey a meaning, involving redundant or superfluous expressions that add no new information
2. unnecessary repetition of words or ideas that conveys no additional meaning beyond what has already been stated
3. the employment of surplus language in which redundant terms or phrases fail to contribute fresh content to an utterance

Etymology: Ancient Greek grammarians had a word for saying more than necessary, and it was not a compliment. "Pleonasmos" came from "pleonazein," meaning "to be superfluous" or "to abound," and it grew from "pleion," meaning "more." The Greeks used it for expressions that carried extra words beyond what the sense required, and the idea passed into Late Latin as "pleonasmus." English borrowed the term directly from that Latin form, so its shape has changed very little across two thousand years. The Greek root "pleion" also gives English words like "plethora," which in its original Greek sense describes an excess, so the two words share a common sense of too much.

Synonyms: redundancy, tautology, repetition, superfluity, excess

Antonyms: conciseness, brevity, clarity, succinctness, economy