metaphor
/ˈmetəfɔː/MEH-tuh-fawr
/ˈmɛtəfɔɹ/MEH-tuh-fawr
Meaninga carrying across
Common meaning: calling one thing by the name of another to show a likeness
- metaacross, beyond, changed
- phorbring, conveyLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1661 · scan
‘across, beyond, changed’ + ‘bring, convey’ → metaphor
Journey through time
- Greekφέρω‘bring, convey’
- Englishmetaphor‘calling one thing by the name of another to show a likeness’ · today
meta- also in: metamorphosis
phor also in: periphery
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek φέρω ‘bring, convey’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry φέρω, p. 1661 · dictionary scan
Roots
- φέρω Greek “bring, convey”
Related words
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