Holophrasic Speech

Holophrastic speech describes when a single word is used as a phrase, sentence, or complex idea. Developmentally, it is the stage in a child's language acquisition that occurs around the age of one year in which children use single words to convey complex ideas. Sometimes called the one-word stage, children pronounce and use actual words but cannot structure multiple word phrases or sentences. An example would be a child saying the word "Milk!" meaning "I want some milk!" or saying "Toy!" when they want you to give them their favorite toy.