PERIPHRASIS

circumlocution, periphrasis, ambage

(noun) a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

periphrasis (countable and uncountable, plural periphrases)

The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".

(linguistics) Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.

(rhetoric) The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a species of circumlocution).

(rhetoric) The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it.

Synonyms

• beating around the bush

• circumlocution

Source: Wiktionary

Pe*riph"ra*sis, n.; pl. Periphrases. Etym: [L.]

Definition: See Periphrase.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition