# prolepsis

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹoʊˈlɛpsɪs/

## Definitions
1. The assignment of something to a period of time that precedes it.
2. The anticipation of an objection to an argument.
3. A construction that consists of placing an element in a syntactic unit before that to which it would logically correspond.
4. A so-called "preconception", i.e., a pre-theoretical notion which can lead to true knowledge of the world.
5. Growth in which lateral branches develop from a lateral meristem, after the formation of a bud or following a period of dormancy, when the lateral meristem is split from a terminal meristem.
6. The practice of placing information about the ending of a story near the beginning, as a literary device.

## Etymology
From Latin prolepsis, from Ancient Greek πρόληψις (prólēpsis, “preconception, anticipation”), from προλαμβάνω (prolambánō, “take beforehand, anticipate”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prolepsis