Colon (rhetoric)

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A colon (Greek κῶλον, pl. cola) is a rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete. In Latin, it is called a membrum or membrum orationis.

Sentences consisting of two cola are called dicola; those with three are tricola. The corresponding adjectives are dicolic and tricolic; colic is not used in this sense.

An isocolon is a sentence composed of cola of equal syllabic length.

[edit] External references

• Colon: Part of a glossary of classical rhetorical terms.
• 'The Colon as Linguistic Sentence', section of a dissertation on rhetoric discussing the nature of the colon.