First Known Use: circa 1706
Dictionary
anacoluthon
noun an·a·co·lu·thon \ˌa-nə-kə-ˈlü-ˌthän\
plural an·a·co·lu·tha\-thə\ also an·a·co·lu·thons
Definition of ANACOLUTHON
: syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence; especially : a shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another (as in “you really ought—well, do it your own way”)
— an·a·co·lu·thic \-thik\ adjective
— an·a·co·lu·thi·cal·ly \-thi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Origin of ANACOLUTHON
Late Latin, from Late Greek anakolouthon inconsistency in logic, from Greek, neuter of anakolouthos inconsistent, from an- + akolouthos following, from ha-, a- together + keleuthos path
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