Dictionary

peripeteia

noun peri·pe·teia \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈtē-ə, -ˈtī-\

Definition of PERIPETEIA

:  a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation especially in a literary work
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Origin of PERIPETEIA

Greek, from peripiptein to fall around, change suddenly, from peri- + piptein to fall — more at feather
First Known Use: 1591

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

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