euphuism

views updated Jun 08 2018

euphuism precious style of diction characteristic of John Lyly's ‘Euphues, the anatomy of wyt’ (1579) and ‘Euphues and his England’ (1580). XVI. f. Gr. euphuḗs well endowed by nature, f. EU- + phu- (BE); see -ISM.
Hence euphuist, euphuistic XIX.

euphuism

views updated May 18 2018

euphuism an artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking. Recorded from the late 16th century, the word comes from late 16th century: from Euphues, the name of a character in John Lyly's prose romance of the same name (1578–80), from Greek euphuēs ‘well endowed by nature’. It originally referred to a conversational and literary style popular in the late 16th and early 17th centuries in imitation of Lyly's work.