aposiopesis

1. (rhetoric) An abrupt breaking-off in speech, often indicated in print using an ellipsis (…) or an em dash (—).Examples: "—"My ſiſter, mayhap," quoth my uncle Toby, "does not chooſe to let a man come ſo near her ****" Make this daſh—'tis an Apoſiopeſis.—Take the daſh away, and write Backſide,—'tis Bawdy."; "Aposiopesis leaves imperfect sense; And, sometimes, such a pause speaks eloquence."; "“If you are not—” The aposiopesis was icy."Synonyms: reticencecountablerhetoricuncountable