Dictionary

zeugma en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈzjuːɡ.mə/
• (US) audio
• /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”).

Meanings

1. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) 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. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) Syllepsis.
   • 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:
   • 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:

Forms

Coordinates

syllepsis

Hypernyms

brachylogy

Relateds

hypozeugma · epizeugma · protozeugma · mesozeugma · diazeugma · synzeugma · prozeugma · hyperzeugma

Translations (21)

fi iestys (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · sh зеугма (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · fi zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · ru зе́вгма (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · an zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · ja 軛語法 (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · eo zeŭgmo (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · ga séagma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · sv zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · sh zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · da zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · fr zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · ca zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · es zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · id zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · de Zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · cs zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · pt zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · grc ζεῦγμα (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · pl zeugma (using a word to apply to more than one noun) · el ζεύγμα (using a word to apply to more than one noun)