circumlocution

circumlocution is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 1 sense, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 37 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.

Definitions

  1. 1.The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language; a periphrese. the plain Billingagate way of calling names . . . would save abundance of time lost by circumlocution. Swift. Circumlocution office, a term of riducle for a governmental office where business is delayed by passing through the hands of different officials.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

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