Standard Lemma guide

chiasmus

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /kaɪˈæzməs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, rhetoric, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

inversion in the second of two parallel phrases

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rhetorical device

History

Etymology

From Latin chiasmus, from Ancient Greek χῑασμός (khīasmós), from χῑάζω (khīázō, “to mark with an X”), from χ (kh, “chi”).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: quiasme — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Chinese Mandarin: 錯綜 /错综 (cuòzōng) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Chinese Mandarin: 錯綜對 /错综对 (cuòzōngduì) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Chinese Mandarin: 交股對 /交股对 (jiāogǔduì) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Chinese Mandarin: 犄角對 /犄角对 (jījiǎoduì) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Finnish: kiasma — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • French: chiasme — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • German: Chiasmus — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Irish: croseagar — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Italian: chiasmo — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kiasme — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kiasme — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Polish: chiazm — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Portuguese: quiasmo — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Portuguese: quiasma — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Russian: хиазм (xiazm) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Russian: инверсия во второ́й половине фразы (inversija vo vtorój polovine frazy) — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Spanish: quiasmo — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases
  • Swedish: kiasm — (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases