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Definition of Metaphor
1. Noun. A figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity.
Specialized synonyms: Dead Metaphor, Frozen Metaphor, Mixed Metaphor, Synesthetic Metaphor
Derivative terms: Metaphoric, Metaphorical
Definition of Metaphor
1. n. The transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea.
Definition of Metaphor
1. Noun. (uncountable figure of speech) The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isn’t, invoking a direct similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing described, but in the case of English without the words ''like'' or ''as'', which would imply a simile. ¹
2. Noun. (countable rhetoric) The word or phrase used in this way. An implied comparison. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Metaphor
1. a type of figure of speech [n -S]
Medical Definition of Metaphor
1. The application of a concept to which it is not literally applicable but which suggests a resemblance and invites comparison. Metaphors as figures of speech are a common literary device but in the history of medicine, metaphors lend a philosophical aura. Medical metaphors were widespread in ancient literature; the description of a sick body was often used by ancient writers to define a critical condition of the state, in which one corrupt part can ruin the entire system. (12 Dec 1998)