n.
Pronunciation: ' em(p)-f ə -s ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -pha · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \
Etymology: Latin, from Greek, exposition, emphasis, from emphainein to indicate, from en- + phainein to show ― more at FANCY
Date: 1573
1 a : force or intensity of expression that gives impressiveness or importance to something b : a particular prominence given in reading or speaking to one or more words or syllables
2 : special consideration of or stress or insistence on something