Meiosis (figure of speech)
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- For the method of cell division, see meiosis.
Meiosis is a figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is less in significance or size than it really is. It is a form of litotes, but litotes often uses understatement to amplify the importance of something, while meiosis aims to make its subject appear smaller. For example, a lawyer defending a schoolboy who has set fire to his school might call the act of arson a "prank."
It is derived from the Greek mei-o-o (“to make smaller”, "to diminish").
[edit] Examples
- After having all his limbs cut off, the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail calls it "just a flesh wound."
- "The pond" as a name for the Atlantic Ocean.
- "The Troubles" as a name for decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
