(Lat. figura; Greek σχῆμα/schêma; French figure).
A. Overview
Figures are formal phenomena of language beyond the grammatical primary structure. In rhetoric they are treated in the context of elocutio under the category ornatus (decoration) and are mostly defined as deviations from normal language usage; if they are few in number, it is considered as paucity of expression (Quint. Inst. 9,…