sylleptic
9.9
A sentence pattern where one word links to two words in different ways
- adjective
- /sɪˈlɛptɪk/
- Literature
:
sileptico
- The author used a sylleptic expression to convey multiple meanings in one sentence.
Examples
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In his speech, he cleverly employed a sylleptic structure to engage listeners on different levels.
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Her sylleptic choice of words pleased both the audience's intellect and emotions.
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Likewise, his sylleptic puns are chiastic.
Academic text (1997) -
Contained in a participial phrase modifying a subject, this sylleptic figure will operate on a noun by metaphorically "grounding" it, emptying it of voltage.
Academic text (1997)
Surface Forms
sylleptic positive
Morphology
Etymology
The word sylleptic comes from Greek parts syn- and lambanein, meaning 'together' and 'to take'. So think of one word that 'takes' two jobs at once, which is why a sylleptic sentence uses a single word to control two different words or meanings at the same time.
