metaphor
- metaphor
met•a•phor
[[t]ˈmɛt əˌfɔr, -fər[/t]]
n.
1) rht the application of a word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote, suggesting comparison to that object or concept, as in"A mighty fortress is our God"
2) something used or regarded as being used to represent something else; symbol:
the novel's use of the city as a metaphor for isolation[/ex]
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Etymology:
1525–35; < L < Gk metaphorá a transfer, n. der. of metaphérein to transfer. See meta-, -phore
met`a•phor′i•cal -ˈfɔr ɪ kəl, -ˈfɒr- met`a•phor′ic, adj.
met`a•phor′i•cal•ly, adv.
From formal English to slang.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
metaphor — met a*phor (m[e^]t [.a]*f[^o]r or m[e^]t [.a]*f[ e]r), n. [F. m[ e]taphore, L. metaphora, fr. Gr. metafora , fr. metafe rein to carry over, transfer; meta beyond, over + fe rein to bring, bear.] (Rhet.) The transference of the relation between… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
metaphor — [met′ə fôr΄] n. [Fr métaphore < L metaphora < Gr < metapherein, to carry over < meta, over (see META ) + pherein, to BEAR1] a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used… … English World dictionary
metaphor — index example Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
metaphor — (n.) late 15c., from M.Fr. metaphore (O.Fr. metafore, 13c.), and directly from L. metaphora, from Gk. metaphora a transfer, especially of the sense of one word to a different word, lit. a carrying over, from metapherein transfer, carry over;… … Etymology dictionary
metaphor — simile, *analogy … New Dictionary of Synonyms
metaphor — [n] figure of speech, implied comparison allegory, analogy, emblem, hope, image, metonymy, personification, similitude, symbol, trope; concept 275 Ant. plain speech … New thesaurus
metaphor — ► NOUN 1) a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable (e.g. food for thought). 2) a thing symbolic of something else. ORIGIN from Greek, from metapherein to transfer … English terms dictionary
Metaphor — This article is about the figure of speech. For other uses, see Metaphor (disambiguation). A political cartoon from an 1894 Puck magazine by illustrator S.D. Ehrhart, shows a farm woman labeled Democratic Party sheltering from a tornado of… … Wikipedia
metaphor — metaphorical /met euh fawr i keuhl, for /, metaphoric, adj. metaphorically, adv. metaphoricalness, n. /met euh fawr , feuhr/, n. 1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in… … Universalium
metaphor — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ appropriate, apt, good, perfect ▪ powerful, striking ▪ useful ▪ central … Collocations dictionary
Metaphor — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Metaphor >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 figure of speech figure of speech Sgm: N 1 facon de parler facon de parler =>(French) way of speaking colloquialism GRP: N 2 Sgm: N 2 phrase phrase &c. 566 Sgm: N 2 … English dictionary for students
