from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
anaphora \a*naph"o*ra\ ([.a]*n[a^]f"[-o]*r[.a]), n. [L., fr. Gr.
'anafora`, fr. 'anafe`rein to carry up or back; 'ana` +
fe`rein to carry.] (Rhet.)
1. A repetition of a word or of words at the beginning of two
or more successive clauses.
[1913 Webster]
2. The use of a substitute word, such as a pronoun, in
reference to a something already mentioned in a discourse;
also, the relation between the substitute word and its
antecedent. It is contrasted with {cataphora}, the use of
a pronoun for a word or topic not yet mentioned.
Note: Thus, in the sentence "John was tall but he was not
very heavy." the "he" is an anaphora for John, or an
anaphoric reference to John.
[PJC]