Relating to a sudden breaking off of speech, often leaving a thought unfinished for dramatic or emotional effect.
From Greek aposiopesis, from aposiōpān (to be silent), combining apo- (away) and siōpē (silence). The term entered English in the 19th century to describe a rhetorical device used in literature and speech.
This word describes a sneaky trick writers use when they want you to feel the emotion of what's left unsaid—like when someone says 'If you do that one more time, I swear I'll...' and trails off. Shakespeare used this constantly to make audiences lean in and imagine the worst.
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