‖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. 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 ]