/luy"teuh teez', lit"euh-, luy toh"teez/ , n. , pl. litotes . Rhet.
understatement, esp. that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in "not bad at all." Cf. hyperbole .
[ 1650-60; litótes orig., plainness, simplicity, deriv. of litós plain, small, meager ]