Metaphor

Metaphor

Noun · /ˈmɛt.ə.fɔː/

Definition

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action it does not literally denote, in order to suggest a resemblance; an implicit comparison that identifies one thing as another; a thing regarded as a representation or symbol of something else.

Origin

From Latin metaphora, from Greek metaphora (transfer, carrying over), from metapherein (to transfer, to carry over), from meta- (over, beyond, across) + pherein (to carry, to bear). The Greek pherein root also gives Christopher (Christ-bearer), phosphorus (light-bearer), and periphery (carried around). Aristotle's Poetics and Rhetoric provided the first systematic analysis of metaphor in Western thought.