emphasis

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: em=pha=sis

CIDE DICTIONARY

emphasis, n. [L., fr. Gr. 'e`mfasis significance, force of expression, fr. 'emfai`nein to show in, indicate; 'en in + fai`nein to show. See In, and Phase.].

•  A particular stress of utterance, or force of voice, given in reading and speaking to one or more words whose signification the speaker intends to impress specially upon his audience.  [1913 Webster]

  "The province of emphasis is so much more important than accent, that the customary seat of the latter is changed, when the claims of emphasis require it."  [1913 Webster]
•  A peculiar impressiveness of expression or weight of thought; vivid representation, enforcing assent; as, to dwell on a subject with great emphasis.  [1913 Webster]

  "External objects stand before us . . . in all the life and emphasis of extension, figure, and color."  [1913 Webster]
•  a special attention given to, or extra importance attached to, something; as, a guided tour of Egypt with emphasis on the monuments along the Nile.  [PJC]
•  something to which great importance is attached; as, the need for increased spending on education was the emphasis of his speech.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

emphasis, n. (pl. emphases)
1 special importance or prominence attached to a thing, fact, idea, etc. (emphasis on economy).
2 stress laid on a word or words to indicate special meaning or importance.
3 vigour or intensity of expression, feeling, action, etc.
4 prominence, sharpness of contour.

Etymology

L f. Gk f. emphaino exhibit (as EN-(2), phaino show)

THESAURUS

emphasis

Alexandrine, accent, accentuation, amphibrach, amphimacer, anacrusis, anapest, antispast, arsis, attention, bacchius, beat, cadence, caesura, catalexis, chloriamb, chloriambus, colon, concern, concernment, consequence, consequentiality, consideration, counterpoint, cretic, dactyl, dactylic hexameter, diaeresis, dimeter, dipody, dochmiac, elegiac, elegiac couplet, elegiac pentameter, epitrite, excellence, feminine caesura, foot, force, grammatical accent, gravity, heptameter, heptapody, heroic couplet, hexameter, hexapody, high order, high rank, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, ictus, import, importance, interest, intonation, intonation pattern, ionic, jingle, level of stress, lilt, mark, masculine caesura, materiality, measure, merit, meter, metrical accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical unit, metrics, metron, molossus, moment, mora, movement, note, numbers, paeon, paralipsis, paramountcy, pentameter, pentapody, period, pitch accent, precedence, preeminence, primacy, primary stress, priority, proceleusmatic, prominence, prosodics, prosody, pyrrhic, quantity, rhetorical accent, rhythm, rhythmic pattern, rhythmical accent, rhythmical stress, secondary stress, self-importance, significance, spondee, sprung rhythm, stress, stress accent, stress arsis, stress pattern, superiority, supremacy, swing, syzygy, tertiary stress, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, thesis, tone accent, tribrach, trimeter, tripody, triseme, trochee, underlining, underscoring, value, weak stress, weight, worth

ROGET THESAURUS

emphasis

Voice

N voice, vocality, organ, lungs, bellows, good voice, fine voice, powerful voice, musical voice, intonation, tone of voice, vocalization, cry, strain, utterance, prolation, exclamation, ejaculation, vociferation, ecphonesis, enunciation, articulation, articulate sound, distinctness, clearness, of articulation, stage whisper, delivery, accent, accentuation, emphasis, stress, broad accent, strong accent, pure accent, native accent, foreign accent, pronunciation, homonym, orthoepy, cacoepy, euphony, gastriloquism, ventriloquism, ventriloquist, polyphonism, polyphonist, phonology, vocal, phonetic, oral, ejaculatory, articulate, distinct, stertorous, euphonious, how sweetly sounds the voice of a good woman, the organ of the soul, thy voice is a celestial melody.

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Affirmation

N affirmance, affirmation, statement, allegation, assertion, predication, declaration, word, averment, confirmation, asseveration, adjuration, swearing, oath, affidavit, deposition, avouchment, assurance, protest, protestation, profession, acknowledgment, legal pledge, pronouncement, solemn averment, solemn avowal, solemn declaration, remark, observation, position, saying, dictum, sentence, ipse dixit, emphasis, weight, dogmatism, dogmatics, asserting, declaratory, predicatory, pronunciative, affirmative, soi-disant, positive, certain, express, explicit, absolute, emphatic, flat, broad, round, pointed, marked, distinct, decided, confident, trenchant, dogmatic, definitive, formal, solemn, categorical, peremptory, unretracted, predicable, affirmatively, in the affirmative, with emphasis, ex-cathedra, without fear of contradiction, as God is my witness, I must say, indeed, i' faith, let me tell you, why, give me leave to say, marry, you may be sure, I'd have you to know, upon my word, upon my honor, by my troth, egad, I assure you, by jingo, by Jove, by George, troth, seriously, sadly, in sadness, in sober sadness, in truth, in earnest, of a truth, truly, perdy, in all conscience, upon oath, be assured, yes, I'll warrant, I'll warrant you, I'll engage, I'll answer for it, I'll be bound, I'll venture to say, I'll take my oath, in fact, forsooth, joking apart, so help me God, not to mince the matter, quoth he, dixi.