anaphor
/ˈænəˌfɔr/
noun
- A word or phrase that refers back to an earlier word or phrase in a sentence or text, such as a pronoun referring to its antecedent.
- In the sentence 'Sarah lost her keys,' the word 'her' is an anaphor that refers back to 'Sarah.'
- When you say 'The dog barked, and then it ran away,' 'it' is an anaphor for 'the dog.'
- Linguists study how anaphors like 'himself' and 'each other' connect to their antecedents.