Definition: In Christian philosophy, "alliteration" refers to a pattern of consonants or syllables that occur in succession, often creating a rhythmic, harmonic effect on the text. It's a poetic and musical device used for emphasis, rhythm, or to evoke imagery.
The word itself doesn't have any literal definition; it is a term within the broader field of Greek philosophy known as alliteration. Alliteration, when combined with consonant groups (a, b, c, d, etc.), creates a pattern that sounds like musical intervals, often used in poetry or music to create an interesting rhythm.
Here are some examples:
1.
Cymbalta
: The word "cymbalta" is derived from the Greek words "cosmรณs" (sky) and "alฤtes" (stretches), both combining to form "cela-celas". In Greek, these words mean "high" and "stretch", but in English, they sound like "ce-may-tle".
2.
Eclipse
: The word "eclipse" is derived from the Greek words "epis" (solar eclipse) and "logos" (light). "Epis" represents "sun" and "logos" represents "light." When combined, these words form "epis-odes," which sounds like a musical phrase.
3.
Ephemerus
: The word "ephemerus" is derived from the Greek words "ethฤmรชs" (earth) and "pramus" (solar), meaning "earthly" and "sun." Together, these words form "ephemeros," which means "earthly sun."
4.
Ephesians
: The word "ephesians" is derived from the Greek words "ephebo-," which is a derivative of "eternus," meaning "eternal," and "sirios," meaning "sun." In Greek, these are combined to form "ephebo-siri."
5.
Euphorbias
: The word "euphorbias" is derived from the Greek words "ephes-" (feather) and "bait-," which means "to catch." When combined, this creates a musical phrase.
6.
Fables
: The word "fables" comes from the Latin words "fable" (the Latin root for "story") and "sunt" (word meaning "be", "is"). Together, these combine to form "fates," which is often used in literature as a metaphorical term.
These alliteration examples showcase how various consonant groups or syllables can be combined to create musical notes that mimic the rhythmic patterns of words.