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American Dictionary of the English Language

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Emphasis


EM'PHASIS, noun In rhetoric, a particular stress of utterance, or force of voice, given to the words or parts of a discourse, whose signification the speaker intends to impress specially upon his audience; or a distinctive utterance of words, specially significant, with a degree and kind of stress suited to convey their meaning in the best manner.

The province of emphasis is so much more important than accent, that the customary seat of the latter is changed, when the claims of emphasis require it.