Editing Tmesis (section)

{{short description|A compound or phrase with an interpolated word in the middle}}
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{{Wiktionary|tmesis}}
In its strictest sense, '''tmesis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|m|iː|s|ɪ|s|,_|t|ə|ˈ|m|iː|-}}; plural '''tmeses''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|m|iː|s|iː|s|,_|t|ə|ˈ|m|iː|-}}; [[Ancient Greek]]: {{lang|grc|τμῆσις}} ''tmēsis'' {{endash}} "a cutting" < {{lang|grc|τέμνω}} ''temnō'', "I cut") is a [[compound (linguistics)|word compound]] that is divided into two parts, with another word [[infix]]ed between the parts, thus constituting a separate word compound.  Example: "un-freaking-believable" (an emphatic way to say "unbelievable"). In a broader sense, ''tmesis'' is a recognizable phrase (such as a [[phrasal verb]]) or word that is divided into two parts, with one or more words interpolated between the parts, thus creating a separate phrase.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=tmesis |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tmesis |access-date=19 August 2014 |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223071123/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tmesis |archive-date=23 December 2012 |via=oxforddictionaries.com |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title= The Oxford Companion to the English Language| publisher= Oxford University Press | year= 1992| page= 1044 |isbn= 0-19-214183-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| website= Dictionary.com| url= http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tmesis |title= tmesis| publisher= | date= | access-date= 19 August 2014}}</ref>