A descent or decline, especially a retreat from a higher to lower place or status; in rhetoric, a transition from a more serious to less serious tone.
From Greek katabasis, from katabainein 'to go down,' composed of kata- 'down' and bainein 'to go.' The term was popularized by Xenophon's account of a Greek retreat from Persia.
Catabasis describes both physical downhill movement and metaphorical decline—like when a story or conversation gets less intense. Xenophon's 'Anabasis' (the famous retreat) is literally the opposite of this word, making them perfect mirror concepts in ancient literature.
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