peripeteia

peri·pe·teia

noun \ˌper-ə-pə-ˈtē-ə, -ˈtī-\

Definition of PERIPETEIA

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

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

Rhymes with PERIPETEIA

amenorrhea, Arimathea, Ave Maria, Cassiopeia, echeveria, Ismailia, Laodicea, pharmacopoeia, prosopopoeia, Sacagawea