[anaph.o.ra] n [LL, fr. LGk, fr. Gk, act of carrying back, reference, fr. anapherein to carry back, refer, fr. ana- + pherein to carry--more at bear] (ca. 1589) 1: repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses esp. for rhetorical or poetic effect "Lincoln's "we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we cannot hallow--this ground" is an example of ~"--compare epistrophe
2: use of a grammatical substitute (as a pronoun or a pro-verb) to refer to the denotation of a preceding word or group of words; also: the relation between a grammatical substitute and its antecedent