/
ˈɛmfəsɪs/
n.
(pl. emphases
/-siːz/
)
- special importance, value, or prominence given to something.
- stress laid on a word or words in speaking.
Etymology
C16: via L. from Gk, orig. ‘appearance, show’, later denoting a figure of speech in which more is implied than is said, from emphainein ‘exhibit’.