Accismus is a feigned refusal of something earnestly desired.
/ref>''Garner's Modern American Usage''
p. 877
/ref> The 1823 ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'' writes that accismus may sometimes be considered a virtue, 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 Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate part ...

, accismus is a

figure of speech A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use in order to produce a rhetorical effect. Figures of speech are traditionally classified into '' schemes,'' which vary the ordinary ...

, 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 and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...

."Accismus"
in ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia Of Literature''

Examples

*(behaviour) ''Britannica'' cites

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

'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 The Fox and the Grapes is one of Aesop's fables, numbered 15 in the Perry Index. The narration is concise and subsequent retellings have often been equally so. The story concerns a fox that tries to eat grapes from a vine but cannot reach them. ...

'' 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." *When being offered roles, accismus is used to demonstrate modesty: "I am not worthy of the role." *(ironic saying) "I couldn't possibly accept such welfare nor promotion from you."

References

Figures of speech Irony {{vocab-stub

Examples

See also

References