LITOTES


Meaning of LITOTES in English

[ lʌɪ'təʊti:z ]

■ noun ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its opposite (e.g. I shan't be sorry for I shall be glad ).

Origin

C16: via late L. from Gk litotēs , from litos 'plain, meagre'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.