Auxesis (ok-see’-sis): (1) Arranging words or clauses in a sequence of increasing force. In this sense, auxesis is comparable to climax and has sometimes been called incrementum. (2) A figure of speech in which something is referred to in terms disproportionately large (a kind of exaggeration or hyperbole). (3) Amplification in general.
(1.) Work, earn, save, retire, die. Each one of these words is filled with so much meaning a book could be written about them. Words are like that: they are spacious.
(2.) The humble ant is a mighty powerhouse of strength, a shining exemplar of courage, and a perfectly meshed team player. However, all you need to do step on the little insect, and that’s the end of that.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
The Daily Trope 