zeugma

[ zoog-muh ]

/ ˈzug mə /

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noun Grammar, Rhetoric.

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 On his fishing trip, he caught three trout and a cold.Compare syllepsis.

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Origin of zeugma

First recorded in 1515–25; from Greek zeûgma “a yoking, bond,” equivalent to zeug(nýnai) “to yoke¹ ” + -ma noun suffix of result

OTHER WORDS FROM zeugma

zeug·mat·ic

[zoog-mat-ik], /zugˈmæt ɪk/, adjectivezeug·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby zeugma

Zethar, Zetland, zetta-, zettabyte, zettahertz, zeugma, Zeus, Zeuxis, Zeya, ZFG, Zhangjiakou

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use zeugma in a sentence

There is a zeugma in speaks as applied to ‘thunder’ and ‘chains,’ unless it be taken as in both cases equivalent to denounces.
Milton's Comus|John Milton
Lucullus appears to have crossed the Euphrates at a more northern point than Zeugma, where the river was crossed by Crassus.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume II|Aubrey Stewart & George Long
The young prince accordingly set out, and reached the city of Zeugma in safety.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 6. (of 7): Parthia|George Rawlinson
Zeugma is either upon or near the site of Bir, which is in about 37° N. Lat.
Plutarch's Lives Volume III.|Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for zeugma

zeugma

/ (ˈzjuːɡmə) /

noun

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)

Derived forms of zeugma

zeugmatic (zjuːɡˈmætɪk), adjectivezeugmatically, adverb

Word Origin for zeugma

C16: via Latin from Greek: a yoking, from zeugnunai to yoke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012