apophasis

noun /əˈpɒf.ə.sɪs/

1. An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned.

   countable, uncountable

   What it would seem to hide, will yet reveal.

   Apophasis, affecting to conceal;

2. A process of arriving at knowledge by statements of denial; particularly, developing a concept of God through negative assertions about his nature.

   countable, uncountable

Where it comes from

Via Late Latin apophasis from Ancient Greek ἀπόφασις (apóphasis, “denial, negation”) from ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from, off”) + φάσις (phásis, “statement, proposition”) from φημί (phēmí, “to speak”) from Proto-Hellenic *pʰā́mā from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂; whence Latin fārī, cognate to fame, fable.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry apophasis (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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