Link Centre Dictionary

metaphor

me·tap·hor

UK/ˈmɛt.ə.fə/ US/ˈmɛt.ə.fɔː/ fairly common

noun

1.

a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity

Origin

From Middle French métaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Ancient Greek μεταφορά (metaphorá), from μεταφέρω (metaphérō, “to transfer, apply”), from μετά (metá, “with, across, after”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

Phrases

  • conceptual metaphor
  • dead metaphor
  • extended metaphor
  • metaphorical extension
  • mixed metaphor
  • stale metaphor

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.