hendiatris
Sign in to saveHendiatris ( ; ) is a figure of speech used for emphasis, in which three words are used to express one idea. The phrases "sun, sea and sand", and "wine, women and song" are examples.
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Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- In the ancient and classical world
- In Shakespeare
- Since the Renaissance and the Enlightenment
- Modern usages
- Examples
- See also
- Related terms
- References
Hendiatris ( ; ) is a figure of speech used for emphasis, in which three words are used to express one idea. The phrases "sun, sea and sand", and "wine, women and song" are examples.
A tripartite motto is the conventional English term for a motto, a slogan, or an advertising phrase in the form of a hendiatris. Some well-known examples are the formula "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" from the United States Declaration of Independence, Jesus Christ's "the way, the truth, and the life" and Julius Caesar's Veni, vidi, vici (examples of a tricolon); and the motto of the French Republic: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité; the phrase peace, order and good government is used as a guiding principle in the parliaments of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hendiatris” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.