Catacosmesis is the Greek word for "to set in order". In rhetoric, it refers to a device in which there is a descending order of words or phrases, either in order of importance, dignity or time, and either abrupt or gradual. It is considered to be synonymous with anticlimax. The opposite of catacosmesis is auxesis when used to refer to climax, wherein a series of clauses has increasing, rather than decreasing, force. Catacosmesis is distinct from bathos because the former is a relative term, requiring that a phrase or word is proceeded by something greater in dignity, time, or some other metric, whereas bathos may apply to an entire work, text, or speech, with no major changes in dignity.
An example of catacosmesis is:
Here, the verbs "die", "faint", and "fail" are arranged such that the most important of them (die) is first and the least important (fail) last.
Another example of catacosmesis is the Yale University motto:
Here, the nouns "God", "country", and "Yale" are ordered so that the most important (God) is first and the least important (Yale) last.
Catacosmesis may also be used for humorous statements due to the juxtaposition of phrases leading to the anticlimax, as in the following statement:
See also
Anticlimax
Auxesis, the opposite device, in which clauses increase in force
Climax, the specific form of auxesis which serves as the opposite of catacosmesis Rhetoric Rhetorical Device