zeugma
[ zoog-muh ]
/ ˈzug mə /
|
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.
Origin of zeugma
Related forms
zeug·mat·ic [zoog-mat-ik] /zugˈmæt ɪk/, adjectivezeug·mat·i·cal·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for zeugma
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 LongThe young prince accordingly set out, and reached the city of Zeugma in safety.
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 MiltonZeugma 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
zeugmatic (zjuːɡˈmætɪk), adjectivezeugmatically, adverbWord Origin for zeugma
C16: via Latin from Greek: a yoking, from zeugnunai to yoke
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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