Standard Lemma guide
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
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noun
A sudden reversal of fortune as a plot point in Classical tragedy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: broadcasting, drama, dramaturgy, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any sudden change in circumstances; a crisis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A turning point in psychosocial development.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, medicine, psychoanalysis, psychology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: peripetia, peripety
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: surprise
History
From Late Latin peripetia, and its source Ancient Greek περιπέτεια (peripéteia), from περιπίπτω (peripíptō, “to change suddenly”), from περί (perí, “round, around, about”) + the stem of πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”).
Across languages
12 source translations are retained for this English entry.
