noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A figure of speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words such that the modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word; often causing humorous incongruity. countable, rhetoric, uncountable
2. 2
   use of a word to govern two or more words though agreeing in number or case etc. with only one wordnet
3. 3
   Growth in which lateral branches develop from a lateral meristem, without the formation of a bud or period of dormancy, when the lateral meristem is split from a terminal meristem. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

figure of speechmalapropismmetaphorsimilespeechzeugma

Antonyms

All antonyms

prolepsis

Etymology

From Latin syllepsis, from Ancient Greek σύλληψις (súllēpsis), from συλλαμβάνω (sullambánō).

Related phrases

figure of speech

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