Standard Lemma guide

hendiadys

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

1

noun

Meaning 1

A figure of speech used for emphasis, where two words joined by and are used to express a single complex idea.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rhetoric

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

use of two conjoined nouns instead of a noun and modifier

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 Medieval Latin, from Ancient Greek ἕν (hén), stem of εἷς (heîs, “one”) + διά (diá, “through”) + δύο (dúo, “two”), “one [idea] through two [words]”.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: hendiadyoini — figure of speech
  • Catalan: hendíadis — figure of speech
  • Czech: hendiadys — figure of speech
  • Dutch: hendiadys — figure of speech
  • Esperanto: hendiadino — figure of speech
  • French: hendiadys — figure of speech
  • French: hendiadyin — figure of speech
  • German: Hendiadyoin — figure of speech
  • Hungarian: hendiadisz — figure of speech
  • Hungarian: hendiadioin — figure of speech
  • Irish: einniad — figure of speech
  • Italian: endiade — figure of speech
  • Japanese: 二詞一意 (nishiichii) — figure of speech
  • Norwegian: hendiadyoin — figure of speech
  • Portuguese: hendíadis — figure of speech
  • Russian: гендиа́дис (gendiádis) — figure of speech
  • Spanish: hendíadis — figure of speech
  • Spanish: endíadis — figure of speech