Phrase

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Phrase \Phrase\, n. [F., fr. L. phrasis diction, phraseology,
     Gr. ?, fr. ? to speak.]
     1. A brief expression, sometimes a single word, but usually
        two or more words forming an expression by themselves, or
        being a portion of a sentence; as, an adverbial phrase.
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              "Convey" the wise it call. "Steal!" foh! a fico for
              the phrase.                           --Shak.
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     2. A short, pithy expression; especially, one which is often
        employed; a peculiar or idiomatic turn of speech; as, to
        err is human.
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     3. A mode or form of speech; the manner or style in which any
        one expreses himself; diction; expression. "Phrases of the
        hearth." --Tennyson.
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              Thou speak'st
              In better phrase and matter than thou didst. --Shak.
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     4. (Mus.) A short clause or portion of a period.
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     Note: A composition consists first of sentences, or periods;
           these are subdivided into sections, and these into
           phrases.
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     {Phrase book}, a book of idiomatic phrases. --J. S. Blackie.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Phrase \Phrase\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Phrased}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Phrasing}.] [Cf. F. phraser.]
     To express in words, or in peculiar words; to call; to style.
     "These suns -- for so they phrase 'em." --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Phrase \Phrase\, v. i.
     1. To use proper or fine phrases. [R.]
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     2. (Mus.) To group notes into phrases; as, he phrases well.
        See {Phrase}, n., 4.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  phrase
       n 1: an expression forming a grammatical constituent of a
            sentence but not containing a finite verb
       2: a short musical passage [syn: {musical phrase}]
       3: an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the
          meanings of the words that make it up [syn: {idiom}, {idiomatic
          expression}, {phrasal idiom}, {set phrase}]
       v : put into words or an expression; "He formulated his concerns
           to the board of trustees" [syn: {give voice}, {formulate},
            {word}, {articulate}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  236 Moby Thesaurus words for "phrase":
     Parthian shot, adage, address, adjectival phrase, affirmation,
     allegation, ana, anacrusis, analects, answer, aphorism, apostrophe,
     apothegm, article, articulate, assertion, averment, axiom,
     back matter, bass passage, book, bourdon, breathe, bridge, burden,
     byword, cadence, catchword, chapter, chestnut, chime,
     choice of words, chorus, clause, cliche, coda, collected sayings,
     collocation, colloquialism, column, come out with, comment,
     commonplace, communicate, composition, conceive, convey, couch,
     couch in terms, crack, current saying, declaration, delineate,
     deliver, describe, development, dialect, dictate, diction, dictum,
     disclose, distich, division, embody in words, emit, enunciate,
     epigram, exclamation, exposition, express, expression, fascicle,
     figure, fling off, folderol, folio, formularize, formulate,
     formulation, frame, front matter, gathering, give, give expression,
     give expression to, give out with, give tongue, give utterance,
     give voice, give words to, glosseme, gnome, golden saying, grammar,
     greeting, harmonic close, icon, idiom, impart, installment,
     interjection, interlude, intermezzo, introductory phrase, language,
     leitmotiv, let out, lexeme, lexical form, lip, livraison, locution,
     manner of speaking, maxim, measure, mention, moral, morpheme, mot,
     motif, motive, motto, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence,
     note, noun phrase, number, observation, oracle, ornament, out with,
     page, paragraph, parlance, part, passage, period, phonate,
     phraseology, phrasing, pithy saying, platitude, position,
     pour forth, precept, prescript, present, pronounce, pronouncement,
     proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, put, put forth, put in words,
     question, raise, reflection, refrain, remark, resolution, response,
     rhetoric, rhetorize, ritornello, saw, say, saying, section,
     semasiological unit, sememe, sentence, sententious expression,
     serial, set forth, set out, sheet, sign, signature, signifiant,
     significant, slogan, sloka, sound, speech, stanza, state,
     statement, stock saying, strain, style, subject, subjoinder, sutra,
     symbol, syntax, tailpiece, talk, teaching, tell, term, text, theme,
     thought, throw off, token, tutti, tutti passage, type, usage,
     use of words, usus loquendi, utter, utterance, variation,
     verb phrase, verbalize, verbiage, verse, vocabulary, vocalize,
     voice, volume, way of speaking, whisper, wisdom, wisdom literature,
     wise saying, witticism, word, word-group, wordage, wording,
     words of wisdom, write