Pleonasms or Tautological Redundancies

(avoid redundancies or excessive repetitiousness by not using unnecessary repetitions and superfluous words or more word usages than is needed, desired, or required)

The use of pleonasms results in a superfluity of words, sometimes deliberately, for emphasis; or the unnecessary repetitions resulting from a lack of the realization that such terms are redundant.

A tautological statement, sentence, etc. repeats its meaning in an unnecessary or excessive way by using different words to say the same thing.

* The pleonasms followed by an asterisk (*) came from an essay, "The Affluent Rich"; by Nat Boynton in his book, Media Rare. My special thanks to Mr. Jerry Gordon for contributing a copy of the essay so I could go through it and pick out the "UR's" (Unnecessary Redundancies) or pleonasms.

Please contribute any pleonasms you may come across from any of the media and let's make this list even more significant as it expands. You may send your suggestion, or suggestions, to e-mail contact or use this e-mail address: [email protected]

DMZ zone
Demilitarized Zone zone.
doctorate degree
DOS operating system
Disk Operating Ssystem operating system.
downward descent
each and every
each per capita *
elevate upward
eliminate altogether
empty hole
empty space
EMS Service
Emergency Medical Service Service.

Contribution from Stephanie, of Manalapan, Florida; the wife of an ER doctor who explains: "Local EMS Service: This term refers to the regional network of police, fire, paramedic and hospital emergency department personnel who together function as a community's 911 response team."

end result
enter into
The parties will enter into a contract.
entirely eliminating
essential necessity

Also see the unit of pleio-, plio- words meaning, "more, most; excessive; multiple".