Your comment encouraged me to look up the etymology of ekphrastic:
Ekphrastic comes from ancient Greek.
Greek root: ékphrasis (ἔκφρασις)
from ek- (ἐκ-) = “out, out of”
phrázein (φράζειν) = “to tell, explain, make clear, point out”
So ekphrasis literally means “speaking out” or “telling in full.”
In classical rhetoric, ekphrasis referred to a vivid, detailed verbal description that brings a subject—often a work of art, but also a place, event, or person—before the mind’s eye. The emphasis was on enargeia: clarity and liveliness, making the listener “see” through language.
Ekphrastic (adjective) enters English in the 19th century, first in rhetorical and classical studies, and later in literary criticism.
In modern usage, it most often refers to poetry or prose that responds to or describes a visual artwork, though the older, broader sense still underlies it.
A lovely word … Doesn’t have the same flavor as “didactic” which is also from Greek (didaktikos) meaning to teach… but didactic seems…hmmm, I don’t know, judge-y? While ekphrastic seems to be showing…without telling me what to think about it…
Ekphrasic. Delightful word. Layered, like the earth where your ancestors built lives, still connected to those who follow.
Your comment encouraged me to look up the etymology of ekphrastic:
Ekphrastic comes from ancient Greek.
Greek root: ékphrasis (ἔκφρασις)
from ek- (ἐκ-) = “out, out of”
phrázein (φράζειν) = “to tell, explain, make clear, point out”
So ekphrasis literally means “speaking out” or “telling in full.”
In classical rhetoric, ekphrasis referred to a vivid, detailed verbal description that brings a subject—often a work of art, but also a place, event, or person—before the mind’s eye. The emphasis was on enargeia: clarity and liveliness, making the listener “see” through language.
Ekphrastic (adjective) enters English in the 19th century, first in rhetorical and classical studies, and later in literary criticism.
In modern usage, it most often refers to poetry or prose that responds to or describes a visual artwork, though the older, broader sense still underlies it.
A lovely word … Doesn’t have the same flavor as “didactic” which is also from Greek (didaktikos) meaning to teach… but didactic seems…hmmm, I don’t know, judge-y? While ekphrastic seems to be showing…without telling me what to think about it…
Thank you! I so enjoy learning new words and following the tangled threads of their origins and history.
I agree!