allegory
- allegory
\ \ [14] Etymologically, allegory means ‘speaking otherwise’. It comes from a Greek compound based on allos ‘other’ (which is related to Latin alius, as in English alibi and alias, and to English else) and agoreúein ‘speak publicly’ (derived from agorá ‘(place of) assembly’, which is the source of English agoraphobia and is related to gregarious). Greek allēgorein ‘speak figuratively’ produced the noun allēgorīā, which passed into English via Latin and French.
\ \ Cf.⇒ AGGREGATE, AGORAPHOBIA, ALIAS, ALIBI, ELSE, GREGARIOUS
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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ALLEGORY — ALLEGORY, a narrative in which the agents and the action, and sometimes the setting as well, are contrived not only to make sense in themselves, but also to signify a second correlated order of things, concepts, or events (Abrams). In the Bible A … Encyclopedia of Judaism
allegory — Allegory is typically defined as a descriptive or narrative literary text wherein the actions, the objects, and the characters signify ideas or concepts that lie outside the text itself. It might be seen as a kind of extended metaphor in which … Encyclopedia of medieval literature
allegory — 1 Allegory, symbolism designate methods of representation in art. Both characteristically aim to represent concretely something that is abstract or for some other reason not directly representable. Allegory is applied to a form of representation… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Allegory — Al le*go*ry, n.; pl. {Allegories}. [L. allegoria, Gr. ?, description of one thing under the image of another; ? other + ? to speak in the assembly, harangue, ? place of assembly, fr. ? to assemble: cf. F. all[ e]gorie.] 1. A figurative sentence… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
allegory — allegory, fable, parable 1. All three words denote a narrative or story that symbolizes other persons and events. Allegory flourished in medieval literature and later (Spenser s Faerie Queene, 1590–6; Bunyan s Pilgrim s Progress, 1678–84, in… … Modern English usage
allegory — (n.) late 14c., from O.Fr. allegorie (12c.), from L. allegoria, from Gk. allegoria figurative language, description of one thing under the image of another, lit. a speaking about something else, from allos another, different (see ALIAS (Cf.… … Etymology dictionary
allegory — [n] indirect representation, storytelling apologue, emblem, fable, figuration, moral, myth, parable, story, symbol, symbolism, symbolization, tale, typification; concept 282 … New thesaurus
allegory — ► NOUN (pl. allegories) ▪ a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. DERIVATIVES allegorist noun allegorization (also allegorisation) noun allegorize (also allegorise) verb. ORIGIN Greek all … English terms dictionary
allegory — [al′ə gôr΄ē] n. pl. allegories [ME allegorie < L allegoria < Gr allēgoria, description of one thing under the image of another < allos, other (see ELSE) + agoreuein, to speak in assembly < agora, AGORA1] 1. a story in which people,… … English World dictionary
Allegory — Tempera on panel, 61 × 51 cm, c. 1500.The Allegory of Music is a popular theme in painting; in this example, Lippi uses symbols popular during the High Renaissance, many of which refer to Greek mythology.] An allegory (from el. αλλος, allos,… … Wikipedia
allegory — /al euh gawr ee, gohr ee/, n., pl. allegories. 1. a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another. 2. a symbolical narrative: the allegory of… … Universalium
