# metaphor

Pronunciation: US say "MET-uh-for" /ˈmɛt.ə.foɹ/; UK say "MET-uh-fuh" /ˈmɛ.tə.fə/

## Noun

1. A word or phrase used to describe one thing as another, implying a likeness between them rather than stating it directly.
   - Simple: A word or phrase that talks about one thing as if it were another to show they are alike.
   - _Calling memory a fragile thread is a metaphor that captures how easily the past slips away._
   - _Her speech leaned on military metaphors, framing every problem as a battle to be won._
2. The use of words or ideas to refer to something beyond their literal meaning, implying a similarity between what is described and what the words actually denote.
   - Simple: Using words to talk about one thing as if it were another, to show they are alike in some way.
   - _Skilled storytellers use metaphor to make abstract ideas feel concrete and immediate._
   - _Everyday speech is shot through with metaphor, often without speakers noticing it._
3. The use of an everyday object or concept to represent part of how a computer works, helping users carry out tasks.
   - Simple: A familiar everyday object used on a computer to stand for a task, making the computer easier to use.
   - _The folder metaphor on most systems mirrors how people once filed paper documents._
   - _Early software borrowed the workbench metaphor to make complex tools feel approachable._

## Verb

4. To describe something through a metaphor, speaking of it as though it were a different thing that it resembles. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To describe something by calling it a different thing that it is like.
   - _Across the collection, illness is metaphored as a long war the body wages against itself._
   - _Some economists resist the urge to metaphor markets as weather, since storms have no owners to blame._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To use a metaphor.

## Origin

From Middle French 'métaphore', via Latin 'metaphora', from Ancient Greek 'metaphorá'. This came from 'metaphérō' ('I transfer, apply'), formed from 'metá' ('with, across, after') plus 'phérō' ('I bear, carry').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/metaphor (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).