katabasis

noun

ka·tab·a·sis

variants: or catabasis \ kəˈtabəsə̇s \

plural katabases or catabases\ -bəˌsēz \

Definition of katabasis

1 : a going or marching down or back : retreat especially : a military retreat the Russian anabasis and katabasis of Napoleon — Thomas De Quincey the tragic and precipitate katabasis of the UN troops — H. L. Ickes

2 : a troparion sung after the two sides of the choir descend to the middle of the church at the end of each ode of the canon at matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church

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“Katabasis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/katabasis. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

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