metaphor
- metaphor
- 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 one set of objects
to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a
compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea. --Abbott &
Seeley. ``All the world's a stage.'' --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The statement, ``that man is a fox,'' is a metaphor;
but ``that man is like a fox,'' is a simile,
similitude, or comparison.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
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
