| 释义 |
epideictic, -ktic, a.|ɛpɪˈdaɪktɪk|
Also 8 epidictic.
[ad. Gr. ἐπιδεικτικ-ός, f. ἐπί + δεικνύναι to show.]
a. Adapted for display or show-off; chiefly of set orations.
1790V. Knox Winter Even. (ed. 2) II. 197 Eloquence of that kind, which the ancient rhetoricians denominated the epidictic. 1795Charac. in Ann. Reg. 20/1 Philosophic dialogues and epideiktic orations. 1874Farrar Christ (ed. 2) II. xxxv, He would not work any epideictic miracle at their bidding.
b. spec. in Ornith.: applied to collective displays and other conventional behaviour regarded by some as having evolved from the need to control the distribution of population.
1959V. C. Wynne-Edwards in Ibis CI. 440 There is a very large class of social phenomena in animals which partake of this character... In birds they usually involve collective displays, singing, aerial acrobatics and the like: the so-called ‘crow's parliament’ of Rooks and Jackdaws..is a familiar example in this country. They may be designated as epideictic demonstrations. 1962― Anim. Dispersion i. 16 Epideictic displays are especially evolved to provide the necessary feed-back when the balance of population is about to be restored... They generally involve conventions that have evolved away from the direct primitive contest. 1966D. Lack Population Stud. Birds 311 Most of the behaviour considered epideictic by Wynne-Edwards can be satisfactorily interpreted in other ways, and no positive evidence has been presented for an epideictic function.
Hence epiˈdeictical a. |