mempsis

M3E1M3P3S1I1S1

noun

A figure of speech expressing complaint or seeking help or redress for a wrong or grievance.

Similar
complaintreproachinvective
OriginAncient Greek μέμψις →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounmempsis (uncountable)
  1. rhetoricuncountableA figure of speech expressing complaint or seeking help or redress for a wrong or grievance.

    1675, Thomas Cock, Miscelanea medica: "A mannerly condescension as this would have better become mempsis than an unmanly disdain."

    1 more example

    2008, Daily Trope: "Mempsis (memp'-sis): Expressing complaint and seeking help. Something is very wrong and it needs a lot of fixing."

    Synonyms: complaint, reproach, invective

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA figure of speech expressing complaint or seeking help or redress for a wrong or grievance.

Similar
complaintreproachinvective

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμέμψις“blame, complaint, reproach”
  2. Englishmempsis

From Ancient Greek μέμψις (mémpsis, “blame, complaint, reproach”), from μέμφομαι (mémphomai, “to blame, to complain”) + -σις (-sis, “-sis”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mempsis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mempsis

MLA

“mempsis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mempsis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mempsis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mempsis.

Source: mempsis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.