the use of one word to express a whole phrase or concept, or an example of this
At about 1 year of age the earliest words appear, some of which are combined withgestures to convey whole sentences of meaning, a pattern called a holophrase.
holophrase in American English
(ˈhɑləˌfreiz, ˈhoulə-)
noun
a word functioning as a phrase or sentence, as the imperative
Go!
Word origin
[1895–1900; holo- + phrase]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: apothecaries' measure, backstage, calling card, freewheel, slapstickholo- is a combining form meaning “whole,” “entire,” used in the formation of compoundwords. Other words that use the affix holo- include: hologram, hologynic, holohedral, holophrastic, holopneustic
Examples of 'holophrase' in a sentence
holophrase
In this way a holophrase could be weakened, and turn into a part of a syntactic combination.
Teresa Bejarano 2014, 'From Holophrase to Syntax: Intonation and the Victory of Voice over Gesture', Humana.Mente: Journal of Philosophical Studieshttp://www.humanamente.eu/index.php/HM/article/view/95. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)