syllepsis

syl·lep·sis

noun \sə-ˈlep-səs\

plural syl·lep·ses\-ˌsēz\

Definition of SYLLEPSIS

1

: the use of a word to modify or govern syntactically two or more words with only one of which it formally agrees in gender, number, or case

2

: the use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two adjacent words in the context with one literal and the other metaphorical in sense

— syl·lep·tic \-ˈlep-tik\ adjective

Origin of SYLLEPSIS

Latin, from Greek syllēpsis, from syllambanein

First Known Use: circa 1550

Rhymes with SYLLEPSIS

asepsis, prolepsis