Meanings
plural metalepses
- countablerhetoricuncountableA rhetorical device whereby one word is metonymically substituted for another word which is itself a metonym; more broadly, a metaphor consisting of a series of embedded metonyms or rhetorical substitutions.
Synonyms: transumption
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rhetorical device whereby one word is metonymically substituted for another word which is itself a metonym; more broadly, a metaphor consisting of a series of embedded metonyms or rhetorical substitutions.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμετά“after”
- Ancient Greekμετάληψις“succession”
- Latinmetalēpsis
- Englishmetalepsis
From Latin metalēpsis, from Ancient Greek μετάληψις (metálēpsis, “succession”), from Ancient Greek μετά (metá, “after”) and λαμβάνω (lambánō, “to take”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French métalepse
- métalepsestrict sense
Italian metalepsi
- metalepsistrict sense
Latin metalēpsis
- metalēpsisstrict sense
Polish metalepsja
- metalepsjastrict sense
Portuguese metalepse
- metalepsestrict sense
Cite this entry
metalepsis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalepsis
“metalepsis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalepsis. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “metalepsis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/metalepsis.
Source: metalepsis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.