Tmesis (pronounced “tuh-mee-sis”) is a figure of speech where a word is inserted between another word or phrase. It’s commonly done with words that have at least three or more syllables.
Tmesis is used for a humorous or rhetorical effect, which can add surprise or emphasis to a word or sentence. You’ll see it most often used in informal and colloquial language, though it can sometimes be found in poetry and prose.
It comes from the Greek word “tmēsis,” which means “to cut.” The adjective form is tmetic.
What is Tmesis?
Tmesis is when you use a word to separate one or more words, usually for comedic or rhetorical effect. It is largely classified into two main groups.
The firs group is formed from cutting phrasal verbs (compound verbs that are considered one semantic unit). The verb retains its original meaning, just given more weight.
- “turn off” to “turn the radio off“
- “take on” to “take them on“
- “look up” to “looked her address up“
The second group is when you add an infix within (rather than at the beginning or end) a base word to create a new word or intensify meaning. This is also called infixation.
- His party was fan-flaming-tastic.
- That is a whole nother story for next time.
- They all need to get edu-freaking-tated.
Tmesis in Speech
In speech, people often use tmesis to over-exaggerate specific words and phrases. This emphasizes a speaker’s strong approval, absolute refusal, or incredulity.
For example, “abso-blooming-lutely” and “un-freaking-believable” convey much stronger emotions of agreement and disbelief than simply saying absolutely and unbelievable.
People also use it to add a humorous or playful effect to their words, signaling to others that they’re speaking in an informal and lighthearted tone.
As you can imagine, its often expletives that are inserted into words, with “fucking” and “bloody” being universal favorites. That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with what you use though.
Tmesis in Literature and Media
In literature and media, tmesis can create depth and complexity for a character by adding cultural, educational, and emotional context. Used well and frequently, it can give a character their unique speech patterns.
Ned Flanders, from the Simpsons, is known for his odd habit of adding “diddly”, “doodly” and other nonsensical words to his sentences. One of his common phrases being, “hi-diddly-ho, neighborino”.
Tmesis doesn’t just flavor his speech though. It opens up a conversation about his backstory, the odd words being a manifestation of his inability to express his anger due to being subjected to a strange therapy a long time ago.
Specifically in prose, tmesis can clue a reader to a character’s upbringing simply through their use of it. Characters who use it are seen as informal, more expressive, and sometimes less educated depending on context. Characters who rarely use it might be more formal or reserved.
In poetry, it’s often used to emphasize a word or phrase, creating rhythm and rhyme. Similar to prose, tmesis can also convey certain emotions, create memorable phrases, and cultivate specific tones. Check out this poem, Hymn to Christ, by John Donne:
In whattorn shipsoever I embark, That ship shall be my emblem Whatseasoever swallow me, that flood Shall be to me an emblem of thy blood.
The first tmesis inserts “torn ships” between whatsoever. The second places the word “sea” in the middle of whatsoever. This emphasizes the speaker’s strong belief towards Christ.
Examples of Tmesis
Here are a few more examples of tmesis often found in speech and literature.
- That’s good e’-bloody-nough
- Whoop-de-freakin’-do!
- Any old how
- “La-dee-freakin’-da“, Chris Farley
- “Legen-wait for it-dary“, How I Met Your Mother
- “This is not Romeo, he’s some other where,” Romeo and Juliet
- “That man, how dearly ever parted,” Troilus and Cressida
Using Tmesis
Tmesis is an incredibly flexible figure of speech. You can use it with virtually any word or phrase you want. There are certain tricks to it though.
While cutting phrasal verbs come naturally in English, infixation places importance in its structure. For one thing, its best to insert the infix before the main stressed syllable of a word. Fan-freaking-tastic just sounds better than fantas-freaking-tic.
Another thing to remember is to insert the infix in a logical morpheme (the smallest unit of language) break for it to make sense. You can’t just place it after any random letter in a word. Un-flaming-believable sounds and reads more natural than unbel-flaming-ievable.
Your tmesis doesn’t even need to be one word. Barney Stinson’s catchphrase, “legen-wait for it-dary” is proof of that. The point is to break a word or phrase’s structure but still create rhythm to it.
What is your favorite example of tmesis? Share it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Synecdoche: Calling a Whole by Its Parts
- Polyptoton: Definition, Examples, and Related Terms
- Metonymy: Definition and Examples
- Malapropisms: Definition and Examples
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
