ăpŏsĭōpēsis, is, f., = ἀποσιώπησις,
a breaking off in the midst of a speech , a rhet. fig. (in pure Lat., reticentia, q. v.), Quint. 9, 2, 54 (e. g. Verg. E. 3, 9; id. A. 1, 135; Ov. H. 13, 164; 20, 51 al.).
·noun A figure of speech in which the speaker breaks off suddenly, as if unwilling or unable to stat...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language