metaphor

  • 1metaphor — 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

  • 2metaphor — [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

  • 3metaphor — index example Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 4metaphor — (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

  • 5metaphor — simile, *analogy …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6metaphor — [n] figure of speech, implied comparison allegory, analogy, emblem, hope, image, metonymy, personification, similitude, symbol, trope; concept 275 Ant. plain speech …

    New thesaurus

  • 7metaphor — ► 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

  • 8Metaphor — 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

  • 9metaphor — 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

  • 10metaphor — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ appropriate, apt, good, perfect ▪ powerful, striking ▪ useful ▪ central …

    Collocations dictionary