Reduplicatio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of repeating a word or phrase for emphasis or clarity
2. A linguistic phenomenon involving the repetition of syllables or sounds within words
3. A rhetorical technique where a part of a word or phrase is repeated to create rhythm or emphasis

Etymology: In Latin, "duplicare" meant "to double," built from "duplex," meaning "twofold." Adding the prefix "re-" gave "reduplicare," to fold back or double again, and the noun "reduplicatio" named the act of doubling something back on itself. The idea of folding is built into the root: "duplex" combines "duo" (two) with a root meaning "fold." Latin writers on rhetoric used the term for the deliberate doubling of a word or phrase to add force or feeling. The Latin noun was then taken into English, where it kept that rhetorical sense. Later, grammarians applied the term more broadly. In linguistics, reduplication now describes forms that repeat a whole syllable or word part, as in the Greek perfect "leluka," from "lyo," "I loosen." Its English use for this grammatical process is a later extension of the Latin rhetorical sense.

Synonyms: reduplication, repetition, doubling, iteration