Schesis onomaton

Schesis onomaton ("state of nouns", from Ancient Greek σχέσις [skhésis, "state, condition, attitude"] and ὀνομάτων [onomátōn, "of nouns"]), often misspelled scesis onomaton,[1] was originally a rhetorical technique consisting of a sentence constructed only of nouns and adjectives. It later came to mean such a series of nouns and adjectives or any series of words that were synonymous expressions.[2] In the second sense it is a rhetorical technique used to emphasize an idea by repeating it rapidly using slightly different words that have the same or a very similar meaning.[3][4]

Examples of first meaning

A man faithful in friendship, prudent in counsels, virtuous in conversation, gentle in communication, learned in all liberal sciences, eloquent in utterance, comely in gesture, an enemy to naughtiness, and a lover of all virtue and godliness.

— Peacham[2]

Examples of second meaning

Wendy lay there, motionless in a peaceful slumber, very still in the arms of sleep.

— Robert A. Harris, VirtualSalt [5]
gollark: Oh bees it has become sentient.
gollark: What?
gollark: Who's Tom Hall?
gollark: No
gollark: Rust's bootstrap compiler was in OCaml. It's actually quite popular.

References
  1. K.R. Brooks, reviewing The Gothic Commentary on the Gospel of John by William Holmes Bennett (Modern Language Review 58.1, 1963, 87-88), noted this about typographical errors: “It is a small fault, but a pity, that two grammatical terms of Greek origin, descriptive of figures of speech, should be consistently misspelt: for scesis (onomaton), which occurs on p. 36 and elsewhere, read schesis; for anthimeria (p. 39), read antimeria …”
  2. Silva Rhetoricae, retrieved September 1, 2011.
  3. American Rhetoric, retrieved September 1, 2011.
  4. De Schematis et Tropis Sacrae Scripturae, Pars Prima - De Schematis by Bede: "Schesis onomaton, id est, multitudo nominum coniunctorum diverso sono unam rem significantium, ut Isaiae cap. I: Vae genti peccatrici, populo gravi iniquitate, semini nequam, filiis sceleratis! Item psalmo CV: Peccavimus cum patribus nostris, iniuste egimus, iniquitatem fecimus."
  5. VirtualSalt: A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices retrieved September 1, 2011.


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