alliteration

[In Ger. and Fr. all it era tion; Port. all it eração: Lat. ad to, and lite ratio instruction in reading and writing; liter a a letter.] 1. The commencement with the same letter of two or more words in immediate succe ion. Milton's expre ion, "Behemoth biggest born" ( P. L. , bk. vii.), is an alliteration; so is the example which follows: "Apt alliteration's artful aid." Church ill: Prophecy of Famine. 2. Le properly: The repetition of a particular letter in the accented parts of words, even though these may not all be at their beginning; as "That, hush'd in grave repose, expects his evening prey." Gray.