Progymnasmata

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sequence of progressively harder preparatory composition and speaking exercises used in ancient Greek and Roman schooling to build rhetorical skill
2. The graded set of introductory rhetorical drills that students in classical antiquity practiced before advancing to full oratory and composition
3. Preliminary training exercises in writing and speech, arranged in increasing difficulty, that formed the foundation of classical rhetorical education

Etymology: Ancient Greek schoolrooms had a set sequence of exercises, and the word for them was built from a simple idea: "progymnasmata" is the plural of "progumnasma," literally "a thing done before the gymnastics." The gymnasium was where young men trained their bodies, and the prefix "pro-" meant "before" or "in preparation." The exercises were preliminary workouts for the mind, practised before students moved on to full oratory. The drills themselves were graded, starting with short fables and proverbs, then working up through narratives, descriptions, comparisons and arguments. Students rehearsed each form until it became second nature, much as an athlete warms up before the main event. Their purpose was to build fluency and skill in composing and delivering speech, not to produce polished finished works. The Greek term passed into English as a technical label for these rhetorical exercises, and it has stayed a specialist word ever since, used mainly in discussions of classical education and rhetoric.