"zeugma" meaning in English

See zeugma in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈzjuːɡ.mə/, /ˈzuːɡ.mə/ Audio: En-us-zeugma.ogg [US] Forms: zeugmata [plural], zeugmas [plural]
Etymology: Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), from ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|grc|ζεῦγμα||yoking; a bond, a band}} Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), {{m|grc|ζεύγνυμι||to yoke; to join}} ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), {{m|grc|ζεῦγος||a yoke}} ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”) Head templates: {{en-noun|zeugmata|s}} zeugma (plural zeugmata or zeugmas)
  1. (rhetoric) 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. Tags: rhetoric Categories (topical): Rhetoric Translations (using a word to apply to more than one noun): ζεῦγμα (zeûgma) [neuter] (Ancient Greek), zuegma [masculine] (Aragonese), zeugma [masculine] (Catalan), zeugma [neuter] (Czech), zeŭgmo (Esperanto), zeugma (Finnish), iestys (Finnish), zeugma [masculine] (French), Zeugma [neuter] (German), ζεύγμα (zévgma) [neuter] (Greek), séagma [masculine] (Irish), 軛語法 (kubiki gohō) (alt: くびきごほう) (Japanese), zeugma [feminine] (Polish), zeugma [masculine] (Portuguese), зе́вгма (zévgma) [feminine] (Russian), зеугма [Cyrillic, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian), zeugma [Latin, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian), zeugma [masculine] (Spanish), zeugma (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-zeugma-en-noun-4p-hDRBz Disambiguation of 'using a word to apply to more than one noun': 99 1
  2. (rhetoric) Syllepsis. Tags: rhetoric Categories (topical): Rhetoric, Figures of speech
    Sense id: en-zeugma-en-noun-Zs4626Gc Disambiguation of Figures of speech: 3 97 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 17 83 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 17 83
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Hypernyms: brachylogy Related terms: diazeugma, hypozeugma, mesozeugma, prozeugma, protozeugma Coordinate_terms: syllepsis

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for zeugma meaning in English (6.8kB)

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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "syllepsis"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "yoking; a bond, a band"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”)",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ζεύγνυμι",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to yoke; to join"
      },
      "expansion": "ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ζεῦγος",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a yoke"
      },
      "expansion": "ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), from ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "zeugmata",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "zeugmas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
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      "args": {
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        "2": "s"
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "brachylogy"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "diazeugma"
    },
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "hypozeugma"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "mesozeugma"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "prozeugma"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "protozeugma"
    }
  ],
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            "Communication",
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            "Fundamental"
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        }
      ],
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        "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."
      ],
      "id": "en-zeugma-en-noun-4p-hDRBz",
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        "(rhetoric) 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."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rhetoric"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ast",
          "lang": "Aragonese",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
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          "_dis1": "99 1",
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          "tags": [
            "masculine"
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "word": "zeŭgmo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "word": "iestys"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "zévgma",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "ζεύγμα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "roman": "zeûgma",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "ζεῦγμα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "séagma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "alt": "くびきごほう",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kubiki gohō",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "word": "軛語法"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "zévgma",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "зе́вгма"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "зеугма"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "Latin",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "zeugma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
          "word": "zeugma"
        }
      ]
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      "categories": [
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            "Fundamental"
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        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "3 97",
          "kind": "topical",
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          "name": "Figures of speech",
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          "parents": [
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            "Language",
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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        {
          "ref": "July 1963, Fred Sommers, “Types and Ontology”, in The Philosophical Review, volume LXXII, Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in Philosophy, page 343",
          "text": "The existence of zeugmas suggests the rule of transitivity. Zeugmas appear incorrect because they embody an allegedly univocal use of a term in a way which violated the rule of transitivity.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Amanda Holton, The Sources of Chaucer's Poetics, page 104",
          "text": "Thus I would describe 'He took his leave and the wrong umbrella' as zeugma, but not 'He took his hat and umbrella'. Zeugma is an important element in Chaucer's poetic technique, not because he uses it, but because he so regularly turns it down.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Syllepsis."
      ],
      "id": "en-zeugma-en-noun-Zs4626Gc",
      "links": [
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rhetoric) Syllepsis."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      ]
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  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/ˈzjuːɡ.mə/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈzuːɡ.mə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-zeugma.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/En-us-zeugma.ogg/En-us-zeugma.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/En-us-zeugma.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
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      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zeugma"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
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    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "en:Figures of speech"
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        "4": "a yoke"
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  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), from ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”).",
  "forms": [
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      "word": "brachylogy"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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      "word": "diazeugma"
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      "word": "hypozeugma"
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      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "rhetoric",
          "rhetoric"
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        "(rhetoric) 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."
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        "rhetoric"
      ]
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          "ref": "July 1963, Fred Sommers, “Types and Ontology”, in The Philosophical Review, volume LXXII, Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in Philosophy, page 343",
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          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "2008, Amanda Holton, The Sources of Chaucer's Poetics, page 104",
          "text": "Thus I would describe 'He took his leave and the wrong umbrella' as zeugma, but not 'He took his hat and umbrella'. Zeugma is an important element in Chaucer's poetic technique, not because he uses it, but because he so regularly turns it down.",
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          "syllepsis"
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        "(rhetoric) Syllepsis."
      ],
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    {
      "ipa": "/ˈzuːɡ.mə/"
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      "audio": "En-us-zeugma.ogg",
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      "tags": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ast",
      "lang": "Aragonese",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zuegma"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "word": "zeŭgmo"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "word": "iestys"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "zévgma",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ζεύγμα"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "roman": "zeûgma",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ζεῦγμα"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "séagma"
    },
    {
      "alt": "くびきごほう",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kubiki gohō",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "word": "軛語法"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "zévgma",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "зе́вгма"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "зеугма"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "Latin",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zeugma"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "using a word to apply to more than one noun",
      "word": "zeugma"
    }
  ],
  "word": "zeugma"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-12 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (ae36afe and 304864d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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