Definition tmesis in British English

tmesis noun

[countable] noun

/t(ə)ˈmiːsɪs/

the separation of a word or phrase into two parts, with another word being said between it, used mainly in informal speech for emphasis, for example 'any old how', in which the word 'old' comes in the middle of the word 'anyhow'

Synonyms and related words

acrostic adjacency pair Americanism

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