periphrasis
\ puh-RIF-ruh-sis \ , noun;
1.the use of an unnecessarily long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution.
2.an expression phrased in such fashion.
Quotes:
He had a cunning mastery of periphrasis , and a telling command of adverbs.
-- P. G. Wodehouse, Not George Washington , 1907
I feel that there is one cliché that sums up my position so admirably that it would be pure egotism to attempt a more interesting periphrasis .
-- Deborah Meyler, The Bookstore , 2013
Origin:
Periphrasis comes from the Greek word períphrasis from the prefix peri- meaning "around" and phrazein meaning "to declare."
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