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Definition: metaphor from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance, for example he is a lion in battle Compare simile

[C16: from Latin, from Greek metaphora, from metapherein to transfer, from meta- + pherein to bear]

› metaphoric (ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪk) or ˌmetaˈphorical adj

› ˌmetaˈphorically adv

› ˌmetaˈphoricalness n


METAPHOR

From Key Ideas in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language
A figure of speech in which a term that is usually associated with a certain entity is used to describe another, as in ‘the dawn of history’. In their seminal work Metaphors We Live By , George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980) affirm that metaphors are deeply ingrained in our thoughts, actions and everyday language. See also : Ideational Theory ; Linguistic Relativity ; Possible World Semantics ; Signs and Semiotics Key Thinkers : Derrida, Jacques ; Saussure, Ferdinand de ; Whorf, Benjamin ; Wittgenstein, Ludwig Lakoff and Johnson (1980) state that, contrary to common belief, a metaphor is not a rhetorical device employed to embellish literary language. They argue that metaphors constitute the foundation of our conceptual system and influence our thoughts, actions and communication. In addition to their description and classification of metaphors, Lakoff and Johnson discuss their significance in both philosophy and linguistics. Zoltán Kövecses (2002) proposes a detailed framework of…
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Full text Article METAPHOR

From Dictionary of Visual Discourse: A Dialectical Lexicon of Terms
It is a curious feature of thought that if we have to think about something, especially something difficult, intangible or dangerous, we think of it in terms of something else. The general term for this ‘something else’ is metaphor . The ubiquity of thoughtful practices makes metaphor a fundamental…
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Full text Article Metaphor

From Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used to describe something it does not literally denote. How we are able to go ‘beyond the literal’ to understand metaphors is a central question in the study of language and thought. Metaphor , from the Greek metapherein (‘transference’), …
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Full text Article METAPHOR

From The Princeton Handbook of Poetic Terms
(Gr., “transference”). A trope, or figurative expression, in which a word or phrase is shifted from its normal uses to a context where it evokes new meanings. When the ordinary meaning of a word is at odds with the context, we tend to seek relevant features of the word and the situation that will…
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Full text Article METAPHOR

From Key Ideas in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language
A figure of speech in which a term that is usually associated with a certain entity is used to describe another, as in ‘the dawn of history’. In their seminal work Metaphors We Live By , George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980) affirm that metaphors are deeply ingrained in our thoughts, actions and…
| 1,544 words
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Full text Article METAPHOR

From Global Dictionary of Theology
Metaphor has long been considered one of the figures of speech and is classed together with simile because it also involves the comparison of two things, but without the use of “as” or “like.” Recent theories, however, have challenged this traditional understanding. The transformation in the…
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Full text Article metaphor

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Figure of speech using an analogy or close comparison between two things that are not normally treated as if they had anything in common. Metaphor is a common means of extending the uses and references of words. See also simile . A metaphor is a simile expressed without any indication of comparison. …
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Full text Article Metaphor

From Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies
A figure of speech or a visual device that works by transporting qualities from one plane of reality to another: ‘The camel is the ship of the desert’; ‘Life for Mary was a bed of roses.’ Without metaphor there would be no scope for the development of either visual or verbal language; it would…
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Full text Article metaphors

From Good Word Guide
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used, not with its literal meaning, but to suggest an analogy with something else. The comparison is implicit, not introduced by like or as (compare synonym ) • the winds of change • an icy voice • stone deaf . Many expressions used in…
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Full text Article METAPHOR

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
French philosopher The metaphor never goes very far, anymore than a curve can long be confused with its tangent. Translated by Mitchell, Arthur Creative Evolution Chapter III (p. 213 ) Henry Holt & Co. New York New York USA . 1913. Theoretical cosmologist…
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Full text Article metaphor

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
pronunciation (15c) 1 :  a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money ); broadly :  figurative language compare simile 2 :  an object, activity, or idea…
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