phrase

Pronunciation: /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
  2. noun a short musical passage
  3. noun an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin phrasis (“diction”), from Ancient Greek φράσις (phrásis, “manner of expression”), from φράζω (phrázō, “to tell, express”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
construction
Narrower (hyponyms)
pronominal phrase, noun phrase, prepositional phrase, predicate, catchphrase, response

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