Meanings
plural polysyndetons · plural polysyndeta
- countablerhetoricuncountableThe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence.
In Polysyndeton conjunctions flow, And every word its copulative will shew.
1835, L[arret] Langley, “[Rhetorical Figures.] Polysyndeton.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 531 more example
[Hemingway] often employs a variety of polysyndeton—a frequent use of conjunctions, most notably “and”—linking elements in a sentence together in a way that implies all parts are of equal importance, while in fact one unit of the series may be much more significant than the others.
2002, Robert Baird Shuman, editor, Great American Writers: Twentieth Century, Marshall Cavendish, →ISBN, page 668
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Medieval Greekπολυσύνδετον
- Medieval Latinpolysyndeton
- Englishpolysyndeton
Borrowed from Medieval Latin polysyndeton, itself from Medieval Greek πολυσύνδετον (polusúndeton, literally “many connected”).
More words from Medieval Latin, Medieval Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian полисиндетон, многосъю́зие
- полисиндетон (polisindeton)the use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
- многосъю́зие (mnogosăjúzie)the use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Catalan polisíndeton
- polisíndetonthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
French polysyndète
- polysyndètethe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
German Polysyndeton
- Polysyndetonthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Italian polisindeto
- polisindetothe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Polish polisyndeton
- polisyndetonthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Portuguese polissíndeto
- polissíndetothe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Spanish polisíndeton
- polisíndetonthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Swedish polysyndeton, polysyndes
- polysyndetonthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
- polysyndesthe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Tagalog damiugnay
- damiugnaythe use of many conjunctions to achieve an overwhelming effect in a sentence
Cite this entry
polysyndeton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polysyndeton
“polysyndeton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polysyndeton. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polysyndeton,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polysyndeton.
Source: polysyndeton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.