Definition of PERIPETEIA

peripeteia

Meanings

Plural: peripeteias

Noun

  • a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)
    • "a peripeteia swiftly turns a routine sequence of events into a story worth telling"
  • A sudden reversal of fortune as a plot point in Classical tragedy.
  • Any sudden change in circumstances; a crisis.
  • A turning point in psychosocial development.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Latin peripetia, and its source Ancient Greek περιπέτεια (peripéteia), from περιπίπτω (peripíptō, “to change suddenly”), from περί (perí, “round, around, about”) + the stem of πίπτω (píptō, “to fall”).

Synonyms

peripetia, peripety

Scrabble Score: 14

peripeteia is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
peripeteia is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
peripeteia is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

peripeteia is a valid Words With Friends word