Words & WritingGreek → English
Litotes
/ˈlaɪtətiːz/noun
Understatement that affirms something by denying its opposite, as in not bad or no small feat.
The Greek roots
λιτότης
litótēs
plainness, simplicity
Literally: “plainness”
Follow a root:λιτότης1 word
The story of the word
λιτός meant plain and unadorned, said of a simple meal or a house without decoration, so the figure is named for its modesty rather than its mechanics. Old English poetry ran on it, describing a slaughter as a place where no warrior had a pleasant morning. Modern English is soaked in the habit, which is why not unhappy is a genuinely different report from happy.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Late Latin → English
- First recorded
- 17th century
Same family
hyperbolemeiosis
In a sentence
Calling a twelve-hour surgery not entirely straightforward is litotes of the highest order.