Figure Name bdelygmia
Source Silva Rhetoricae (; Peacham (1593)
Earliest Source None
Synonyms abominatio, fastidium
Etymology Gk. "nausea, disgust"
Type Trope
Linguistic Domain Semantic

1. Expressing hatred and abhorrence of a person, word, or deed. (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. Bdelygmia, in latine Abominatio, and Fastidium, is a forme of speech which the speaker useth to signifie how much he hateth and abhorreth some person, word, deed, or thing, and it is used commonly in a short forme, and in few words. (Peacham)


1. I do hate a proud man, as I do hate the engend'ring of toads.
—Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida 2.3.158-159 (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. Against a person thus: Out upon him wretch. Against an odious word thus: Peace for shame. Against an odious deed, thus: Fie upon it. Against an odious thing, thus: Away with it, I love not to heare of it, I abhorre it: Avoyd Sathan, Mat.4. (Peacham)

2. Sometime with mo words, thus: No more for shame, bury it in silence, whose eyes can looke upon it, and not loath it, or whose eares can heare it, and not abhore it? (Peacham)

Kind Of
Part Of
Related Figures apodioxis, figures of exclamation
Confidence Unconfident
Last Editor Ashley Rose Kelly
Confidence Unconfident
Editorial Notes
Reviewed No