emphasis
nounattested in dialogue
- //ˈɛmfəsɪs//
- /[ˈɛɱfəsɪs]/
- /[ˈeɱfəsɪs]/
- /[ˈɛɱfəsəs]/
- /[ˈeɱfəsəs]/
Special weight or forcefulness given to something considered important.
noun
- 1
Special weight or forcefulness given to something considered important.
He paused for emphasis before saying who had won.
- 2
Special attention or prominence given to something.
Anglia TV's emphasis is on Norwich and district.
Put emphasis on the advantages rather than the drawbacks.
The second level of reading we will call Inspectional Reading. It is characterized by its special emphasis on time.
- 3
Prominence given to a syllable or words, by raising the voice or printing in italic or underlined type.
He used a yellow highlighter to indicate where to give emphasis in his speech.
- 4
The phonetic or phonological feature that distinguishes emphatic consonants from other consonants.
- 5
The use of boldface, italics, or other such formatting to highlight text.
Etymology
From Latin emphasis, from Ancient Greek ἔμφασις (émphasis, “significance”), from ἐμφαίνω (emphaínō, “to present; to indicate”), from ἐν- (en-, “in”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to show”).
Forms
- plural
- emphases
emphasis · Special weight or forcefulness given to something considered important.
empire · A political state, often a monarchy, that has achieved a much…Empire · Following or imitating a style popular during the First…employ · To retain (someone) as an employee.