zeugma
(redirected from zeugmas)Also found in: Thesaurus.
Related to zeugmas: syllepsis
zeug·ma
(zo͞og′mə)n.
1. Syllepsis.
2. A construction in which one word or phrase is understood to fill a parallel syntactic role in two or more clauses or phrases, as with the verb was in She was upstairs, and her husband downstairs.
[Latin, from Greek, a joining, bond; see yeug- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
zeugma
(ˈzjuːɡmə)n
(Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a figure of speech in which a word is used to modify or govern two or more words although appropriate to only one of them or making a different sense with each, as in the sentence Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave (Charles Dickens)
[C16: via Latin from Greek: a yoking, from zeugnunai to yoke]
zeugmatic adj
zeugˈmatically adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
zeug•ma
(ˈzug mə)n.
the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words when it is appropriate to only one of them or is appropriate to each but in a different way, as in to wage war and peace or He caught a trout and a bad cold.
[1515–25; < Greek zeûgma=zeug(nýnai) to join, yoke + -ma n. suffix of result]
zeug•mat′ic (-ˈmæt ɪk) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
zeugma
the use of a word grammatically related to two adjacent words, but inappropriate for one of them, as in “he loved both his wife and his wallet.” — zeugmatic, adj.
See also: Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | zeugma - use of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one; "`Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave' is an example of zeugma" syllepsis - use of a word to govern two or more words though agreeing in number or case etc. with only one |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.