zeugma
zeugma · zeugmata · zeugmas
зевгма
Zeugma
The act of using a word, particularly an adjective or verb, to apply to more than one…The act of using a word, particularly an adjective or verb, to apply to more than one noun when its sense is appropriate to only one.
/ˈzjuːɡ.mə/
Meaning
2 senses(countable, rhetoric, uncountable)The act of using a word, particularly an adjective or verb, to apply to more than one noun when its sense is appropriate to only one.
Zeugma
зе́вгмаzévgma
(countable, rhetoric, uncountable)Syllepsis.
More definitions
- use of a verb with two or more complements, playing on the verb's polysemy, for humorous effect
Translations
6 languagesРусский
By meaning 1
using a word to apply to more than one noun:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
using a word to apply to more than one noun:
Origin
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgBorrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), from ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: zeugmata / zeugmasWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A1Plural nouns — Because its plural is irregular
- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable