Where does “metaphor” come from?
Metaphor comes from Middle French métaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Ancient Greek μεταφορά, literally "a transfer," derived from μεταφέρω meaning "to transfer" or "carry over."
metaphor (English): The use of a word or phrase to refer to something...
Definitions
- The use of a word or phrase to refer to something...
Ancestry of “metaphor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | métaphore | — |
| 2 | Latin | metaphora | a metaphor |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μεταφορά | transference; metaphor, trope |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μεταφέρω | to carry over, transfer; to change, alter; to... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | φέρω | I bring, bear, carry |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | pʰérō | to bear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |
Words derived from “metaphor”
- metaphorical
- metaphorically
- metaphoric
- metaphoricity
- metaphorization
- metaphorize
- nonmetaphorical
- unmetaphorical
- nonmetaphoric
- unmetaphorically
- metaphorist
- antimetaphorical
- unmetaphoric
- remetaphorize
- metaphoricalness
- demetaphorize
- supermetaphor
- metaphoreme
- metaphorician
- metaphorology
- メタファー
- metaphoricness
- hypermetaphorical
- multimetaphorical