English
apophasis
Apophasis comes from Ancient Greek ἀπόφασις ‘denial, negation’, from φάσις ‘statement, proposition’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to shine, glow light’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂1‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰā́mā1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφημί1phēmí‘to speak’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάσις1‘statement, proposition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόφασις1apóphasis‘denial, negation’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapophasis1
- Englishearliest quotation 1835apophasis1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English apophasis
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Larret Langley, [Rhetorical Figures.] Apophasis.: “Apophasis, affecting to conceal; What it would seem to…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, English apophasis‘to shine, glow light’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂Wiktionary, English apophasis‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰā́māWiktionary, English apophasisreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφημίWiktionary, English apophasisphēmí‘to speak’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάσιςWiktionary, English apophasis‘statement, proposition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόφασιςWiktionary, English apophasisapóphasis‘denial, negation’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapophasisWiktionary, English apophasis
- Englishearliest quotation 1835apophasisWiktionary, English apophasis. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Larret Langley, [Rhetorical Figures.] Apophasis.: “Apophasis, affecting to conceal; What it would seem to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
phone, focus, professor, famous, fuel, ben, favor, favourite, ban, fate, fancy, fantasy, fame, fatal, bee, fairy, fabulous, abandon, photographer, infant, profession, phenomenon, confess, beacon, beck, symphony, boon, phantom, emphasis, eff, fab, fay, bane, fable, foyer, buoy, nefarious, profess, bene, banish, 125 more
through Ancient Greek φημί ‘to speak’
prophetic, prophesy, prophetess, 3 more
through Ancient Greek φάσις ‘statement, proposition’
Today it means
noun An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “apophasis”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / apophasis