zeugma
noun/ˈzjuːɡ.mə/ · /ˈzuːɡ.mə/
Etymology Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζεῦγμα (zeûgma, “yoking; a bond, a band”), from ζεύγνυμι (zeúgnumi, “to yoke; to join”), from ζεῦγος (zeûgos, “a yoke”).
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.
2
Rhetoric Syllepsis.
- 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^([sic]) the rule of transitivity.July 1963, Fred Sommers, “Types and Ontology”, in The Philosophical Review, volume LXXII, Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in Philosophy, page 343:
- 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.2008, Amanda Holton, The Sources of Chaucer's Poetics, page 104:
- Related terms
- diazeugma, epizeugma, hyperzeugma, hypozeugma, mesozeugma, protozeugma, prozeugma, synzeugma
- Hypernyms
- brachylogy
- Coordinate terms
- syllepsis