Metalepsis

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A 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. countable, rhetoric, uncountable
  2. 2
    substituting metonymy of one figurative sense for another wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
transumptiontransumption

Etymology

From Latin metalēpsis, from Ancient Greek μετάληψις (metálēpsis, “succession”), from Ancient Greek μετά (metá, “after”) and λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”).

More for "metalepsis"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.