Accismus is a feigned refusal of something earnestly desired.
/ref>[''Garner's Modern American Usage'']
p. 877
/ref>
The 1823 ''Encyclopædia Britannica
The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'' writes that accismus may sometimes be considered as a virtue or sometimes a vice.["Accismus"]
in 1823 ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
The Latin term comes from the Greek word is "ἀκκισμός", which, according to ''Britannica'', was "supposed to be formed from Acco (Greek: Akko), the name of a foolish old woman, famous in antiquity for an affectation of this kind."[ (An 1806 ''Lexicon manuale Graeco-Latinum et Latino-Graecum'' agrees with this derivation.]
*Akko - nominem mulieris, quae tempestive recusare videbatur, ut deinde melius obtineret
*Ακκιςομαι - simulate recuso, os, vultumque in morem mulieris Acco compono However an 1820 ''Lexicon Graeco-Latinum'' associates Acco with idle occupation, e.g., chatting with other women or looking into a mirror, hence the Greek coinages Ακκιζειν / Ακκους).[''Lexicon Graeco-Latinum'', 1820]
p. 90
*Ακκο - mulier quaedam notae stultitiae, quae solita sit ad speculum cum imagine sua, perinde atque cum alia muliere, confabulari; ut hinc vulgo, quae stultius aut ineptius aliquid agerent, Ακκιζειν dicerentur, et Ακκους nomine compellarentur. Illud etiam moribus hujus mulieris adfuit, ut recusaret quae tamen cupiebat.
*Ακκιςομαι - simulate recuso, ficte aspernor, fingo me nolle quum maxime velim. Est etiam generaliter, simulatione utor, idem quod προσποιουμαι ... Saepe de mulieribus dicitur et scortis, quae ut pluris addicant, morosiora se praestant, nec facile se exorari sinunt.
*Ακκισμός - ficta recusatio, simulatio qua quis utitur fingens se accipere nolle quod tamen vult.
More particularly, in rhetorics, accismus is a figure of speech
A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from straightforward language use or Denotation, literal meaning to produce a rhetorical or intensified effect (emotionally, aesthetically, intellectually, et ...
, a figure of refutation, is a type of irony
Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...
.["Accismus"]
in ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia Of Literature''
Examples
*(behaviour) ''Britannica'' cites Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
's refusal of the crown of England as an example of accismus.[
*(behaviour) ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia Of Literature'' cites the dismissal of the grapes by the fox in '' The Fox and the Grapes'' as an example.][
*When receiving gifts or honours, accismus is used to demonstrate modesty: "I am not worthy of the honor."][
*(ironic utterance) "I couldn't possibly accept such charity from you."][
]
See also
* Sour grapes (disambiguation)
References
Figures of speech
Irony
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