n.
Pronunciation: ə - ' na-f( ə -)r ə
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, from Late Greek, from Greek, act of carrying back, reference, from anapherein to carry back, refer, from ana- + pherein to carry ― more at BEAR
Date: circa 1589
1 : repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect <Lincoln's “ we cannot dedicatewe cannot consecratewe cannot hallowthis ground ” is an example of anaphora > ― 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