pe ‧ riph ‧ ra ‧ sis /pəˈrɪfrəsəs, pəˈrɪfrəsɪs/ BrE AmE noun ( plural periphrases /-siːz/) [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Greek , from periphrazein 'to express in a periphrastic way' ]
1 . formal when someone uses long words or phrases that are not necessary
2 . technical the use of ↑ auxiliary words instead of ↑ inflect ed forms
—periphrastic /ˌperəˈfræstɪk◂, ˌperɪˈfræstɪk◂/ adjective