Laureate Level Poetry Vocabulary
Also available as extra credit for Honors
definitions (c) The American Heritage Dictionary

Going Beyond Metaphor

(bonus point question) How is the above subtitle a pun of redundancy?

  1. metonymy (muh tahn' uh me) A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power. [from Greek meta- beyond, beside, after (see above) + nomen- name (see below)]
    • nomen- from Greek onoma: name, reputation. Important derivatives are: name, nominal, nominate, noun, ignominy, misnomer, pronoun, renown, anonymous, eponym, homonymous, metonymy, pseudonym, synonymous, binomial, cognomen, denominate, nomenclature, onomatopoeia, patronymic, moniker. [Pokorny en(o)mö- 321.]
    • BE CAREFUL!! Just as there is a prefix in meaning "in" such as internal, interior, inside, etc. and also a separate and different prefix in meaning "not" as in incorrect, immortal, illogical, irrevesible, etc, so there is also another nom than the one meaning "name" above. It is the nom meaning "law" from nem discussed thus: nem-.To assign, allot. Nemesis; economy, from Greek nemein, to allot. 1. O-grade form a. nom-. antinomy (see below), astronomer, astronomy, autonomous, Deuteronomy, metronome, numismatic, from Greek nomos, portion, usage, custom, law, division, district b. noma, from Greek nome, pasturage, grazing; c. nomad, from Greek nomas, wandering in search of pasture; 2. suffixed o-grade form nom-eso- number; enumerate
  2. synecdoche (sin ek' duh key) A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing from which it is made (as steel for sword). Other Examples: 1. We have an extra mouth to feed. 2. He owns 200 head of cattle. [from Greek sunekdekhesthai, to take on a share of : syn- same; similar (see ksun below) + ekdekhesthai, to understand (ek-, out of; (see eghs below) + dekhesthai, to take (see dek- below)]
    • eghs. from Greek ex, ek, out of, from. Important derivatives are: ex-, exotic, external, extra-, strange, extreme, ecto-, exo-, exterior [Pokorny 292.]
    • dek- from Greek dekhesthai, to accept, to take (in the sense of accept). Important derivatives are: decent, from Latin decere, to be fitting (“to be acceptable”); docent, docile, doctor, doctrine, document, from Latin docere, to teach (“to cause to accept”); dogma, dogmatic, doxology, orthodox, paradox, from Greek dokein, to appear, seem, think (“to cause to accept or be accepted”); form *dek-es- decor, decorate, decorous, from Latin decor, seemliness, elegance, beauty ("to look acceptable"). Suffixed form *dek-no-. dainty, deign, dignity, dignify, disdain, indignant (indignation), from Latin dignus, worthy, deserving, fitting, acceptable; disciple, discipline, from Latin discere, to learn (to be acceptable). [Pokorny 1. 189.]
  3. antinomy (an tin' uh me) 1. Contradiction or opposition, especially between two laws or rules. 2. A contradiction between principles or conclusions that seem equally necessary and reasonable; a paradox. [Latin antinomia, from Greek : anti-, anti- + nomos, law; see nem- above.]
  4. iamb (eye' amb) A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in delay. [from Greek iambos.]
  5. trochee (tro' kay) A metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable, as in season. [from Greek trokhos, a running, from trekhein, to run.]
  6. spondee (spon' day) A metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables. [from Greek spondeios, libation (from its use in songs performed at libations). See spend- below.]
    • spend- from Greek sponde', libation, offering. Important derivatives are: sponsor, spouse, respond. To make an offering, perform a rite, hence to engage oneself by a ritual act; to make a solemn promise, pledge, betroth. [Pokorny 989.]
  7. anapest (an' uh pest) A metrical foot composed of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed one, as in the word seventeen. 2. A line of verse using this meter; for example, “'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house” (Clement Clarke Moore). [from Greek anapaistos : ana- (see below ) + paiein, pais-, to strike (so called because an anapest is a reversed dactyl); see peu- below.]
      • an-. from Greek ana, on, up, at the rate of. Important derivatives are: on, again; anew: anaphylaxis, acknowledge, alike, aloft, onslaught, an, on, a, amiss, [Pokorny 4. 39.]
      • peu-. from Latin putere, to prune, clean, settle an account, think over, reflect; or to be struck, cut, or stamped from, as in metals. Important derivatives are putative, account, amputate, compute, count1, dispute, impute, repute, pave. [Pokorny 3. 827.]
  8. dactyl (dak' till) 1. A metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable followed by two unaccented, as in flattery. 2. A finger, toe, or similar part or structure; a digit. [from Greek daktulos, finger.]
  9. amphibrach (ahm' fee brahk) A trisyllabic metrical foot having one accented syllable between two unaccented syllables, as in the word remember. [from Greek: amphi- + brakhus, short; important derivatives are brief, abbreviate, abridge, merry, mirth, brace, brassiere, pretzel, embrace. The ancient form = mregh- [Pokorny 750.]
  10. noumenon (noo' men ahn) 1. An object that can be intuited only by the intellect and not perceived by the senses. 2. An object independent of intellectual intuition of it or of sensuous perception of it. Also called thing-in-itself. 3. In the philosophy of Kant, an object, such as the soul, that cannot be known through perception, although its existence can be demonstrated. [from Greek noumenon, from neuter present middle participle of no-ein, to perceive by thought, from no-us, mind.]
  11. hyperbole (hy per' buh lee) A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton. [from Greek huper, beyond; + ballein, to throw; see gwel- below.]
    • gwel-. To throw, reach, with further meaning to pierce. Important derivatives are: ball, ballistic, diabolic, emblem, hyperbola, hyperbole, metabolism, parable, parabola, problem, symbol, ballet [Pokorny 470.]
  12. hyperbaton (hy per' bah ton') A figure of speech, such as anastrophe or hysteron proteron, using deviation from normal or logical word order to produce an effect. [Greek see below.]
  13. hysteron proteron (hiss' ter ahn pro' ter ahn) 1. A figure of speech in which the natural or rational order of its terms is reversed, as in bred and born instead of born and bred. 2. The logical fallacy of assuming as true and using as a premise a proposition that is yet to be proved. [from Greek husteron proteron, latter former: see per #1 below.]
    • per #1 Base of prepositions and preverbs with the basic meanings of "forward," "through," and a wide range of extended senses such as "in front of," "before," "early," "first," "chief," "toward," "against," "near," "at," "around.": Important derivatives are: far, paramount, paradise, for, forth, afford, further, foremost, former, first, prow, protein, proton, fore, forefather, before, from, furnish, veneer, purchase, prone, reciprocal, approach, approximate, probable, probe, proof, prove, approve, improve, pre-, private, privilege, deprive, proper, property, appropriate, premier, primal, primary, primate, prime, primitive, prince, principal, principle, pristine, priest.
    • ud-. Up, out. Important derivatives are: out, utmost, carouse, outlaw, utter, but, about. [Pokorny 1103.]
  14. anastrophe (uh nass' truh fee) Inversion of the normal syntactic order of words; for example, "Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear" (Alexander Pope). [from Greek, anastrephein, to turn upside-down : ana- on, up (see an- above) + strephein, to turn; (see streb(h)- below)]
      • streb(h)-. To wind, turn. 1. strepto-, strop, strophe, anastrophe, apostrophe, boustrophedon, catastrophe, from Greek strephein, to wind, turn, twist, with o-grade derivatives stroph, a turning, and strophion, headband. 2. Unaspirated o-grade form *strob-. strobilus; stroboscope, from Greek strobos, a whirling, whirlwind. 3. Unaspirated zero-grade form *st-b-. strabismus, strabotomy, from Greek strabos, squinting. [Pokorny 1025.]
  15. caesura (see zhoor' uh) 1. A pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics. 2. A pause or an interruption, as in conversation: After another weighty caesura the senator resumed speaking. 3. In Latin and Greek prosody, a break in a line caused by the ending of a word within a foot, especially when this coincides with a sense division. 4. Music. A pause or breathing at a point of rhythmic division in a melody. [Latin, from caesus, past participle of caedere, to cut off. (see ka…-id- below)]
        1. ka…-id- from caedere: To strike or chop cut. Important derivatives are: cement, chisel, scissors, circumcise, concise, decide, precise. [Pokorny (s)k(h)ai- 917.]
  16. boustrophedon ( bew strah fee' dahn) The writing of alternate lines in opposite directions (as from left to right and from right to left) (dates from 1699) from Greek bous ox + strephein to turn; meaning, literally, turning like oxen in plowing
  17. apostrophe #1 (uh poss' truh fee) The superscript sign (') used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, and the plurals of numbers, letters, and abbreviations. [from Greek apostrophos, from apostrephein, to turn away : apo- off, away + strephein, to turn; see streb(h)- above.]
    apostrophe #2 (uh poss' truh fee) The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction, especially as a digression in the course of a speech or composition. [from Greek, from apostrephein, to turn away. (see APOSTROPHE#1)]
  18. strophe (stro' fee) 1.a. The first of a pair of stanzas of alternating form on which the structure of a given poem is based. b. A stanza containing irregular lines. 2. The first division of the triad constituting a section of a Pindaric ode. 3.a. The first movement of the chorus in classical Greek drama while turning from one side of the orchestra to the other. b. The part of a choral ode sung while this movement is executed. [Greek stroph, a turning, from strephein, to turn. See streb(h)- above.]
  19. trope (trohp) n. 1.a. The figurative use of a word or an expression, as metaphor or hyperbole. b. An instance of this use; a figure of speech. 2. Music. A word or phrase interpolated as an embellishment in the sung parts of certain medieval liturgies.
  20. mnemonic (nee mon' ik) Relating to, assisting, or intended to assist the memory. A device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering. [Greek mnemonikos, from mnemon- mindful. See men- below.]
    • men- To think; with derivatives referring to various qualities and states of mind and thought. Important derivatives are: mind, mental, mention, automatic, memento, comment, reminiscent, mania, mandarin, mantra, mint, money, monitor, monster, monument, muster, admonish, demonstrate, premonition, summon, mosaic, Muse, museum, music, amnesia, amnesty. 2. a. AHRIMAN, from Avestan mainiiuš, spirit of evil in Zoroastrianism, understood by some as the arch rival of Ormazd. [from Middle Persian ahraman, from Avestan angro-mainiiuš, the evil spirit : angro, evil + mainiiuš, spirit; see men- above.] b. MINERVA, from Latin Minerva, name of the goddess of wisdom. c. MENTOR, from Greek meaning “adviser,” from Greek mnemon, mindful. d. Indo-European verb phrase *mens dhe-, “to set mind," underlying compound *mös-dhe-. AHURA MAZDA (ORMAZD) The chief deity of Zoroastrianism, the creator of the world, the source of light, and the embodiment of good. [Persian Ormazd, from Old Persian Auramazda, from Avestan ahuro mazdå, the Wise Lord : ahura-, lord + mazda-, wise; see men- above.] [Pokorny 3. 726, 730.]
  21. diatribe (die' uh tribe) A bitter, abusive denunciation. [from Greek diatribein, to consume, wear away : dia-, intensive “completely” + tribein, to rub; (see ter…- below.] WORD HISTORY: Listening to a lengthy diatribe may seem like a waste of time, an attitude for which there is some etymological justification. The Greek word diatribe, the ultimate source of our word, is derived from the verb diatribein, made up of the prefix dia-, completely and tribein, “to waste time.”
    • ter…To rub, turn; with some derivatives referring to twisting, boring, drilling, and piercing; and others referring to the rubbing of cereal grain to remove the husks, and thence to the process of threshing either by the trampling of oxen or by flailing with flails. Important derivatives are: trite, detriment, thrash, thresh, threshold, turn, contour, return, drill, throw, thread, trauma. Variant *tre…-1 a. attrition, sontrite, from Latin terere (past participle treitus), to rub away, thresh, tread, wear out; (thrash), threshold. b. from Greek tornos, tool for drawing a circle, circle, lathe: turn , contour, detour, return, . 2. form *tri-dhlo-. tribulation, from Latin tribulum, a threshing sledge. 3. Form *trau-. trauma, from Greek trauma, hurt, wound. 4. Form *trib-. diatribe, triboelectricity, from Greek tribein, to rub, thresh, pound, wear out. 3. Form *trog-, trout, from Greek trogein, to gnaw. [Pokorny 3. 1071.]
  22. zephyr (zef' er) 1. The west wind. 2. A gentle breeze. 3. Any of various soft, light fabrics, yarns, or garments. 4. Something that is airy, insubstantial, or passing. [from Greek God Zephuros.]
  23. epic (ep' ik) 1. An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. 2. A literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended, narrative poem celebrating heroic feats. 3. A series of events considered appropriate to an epic: the epic of the Old West. 4. Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size: “A vast musical panorama . . . it requires an epic musical understanding to do it justice” (Tim Page). 5. Heroic and impressive in quality: “Here in the courtroom . . . there was more of that epic atmosphere, the extra amperage of a special moment” (Scott Turow). [from Greek epikos, from epos, song. (see wekw- below).]
    • wekw-.from Greek epos, song, word and from Latin vox (stem voc-) = voice and vocere to call. Important derivatives are vocal, voice, vowel, equivocal, vocation, vouch, advocate, avocation, evoke, invoke, provoke, revoke, epic, calliope. [Pokorny 1135.]
  24. syllogism (sill' uh jizm) 1. A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion; for example, All human beings are mortal, the major premise, I am a human being, the minor premise, therefore, I am mortal, the conclusion. 2. Reasoning from the general to the specific; deduction. 3. A subtle or specious piece of reasoning. [from Greek sullogismos, from sullogizesthai, to infer : sun-, syn- the same + logizesthai, to count, reckon (from logos, reason; (see leg- below).]
    • leg-. from Greek logos, speech, word, reason and from Greek legein, to gather, speak and from Latin leg- to collect; with derivatives meaning “to speak.” and from Latin lex, law ( “collection of spoken rules”) Important derivatives are lectern, lecture, legend, legible, legion, lesson, collect, diligent, elect, intelligent, neglect, sacrilege, select, lexicon, catalog, dialect, dialogue, eclectic, legal, legitimate, loyal, legislator, privilege, legacy, allege, colleague, delegate, relegate, logic, analogous, apology, epilogue, logarithm, prologue, syllogism. -logue, -logy; analects, anthology, dyslexia, logistic, logo-, logos. [Pokorny - 658.]
  25. foil - A character in life or in fiction who by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: “I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me.” (Charlotte Brontë). (This example is ironic; most foil pairs are more obviously opponents.)
    • bhel-3. To thrive, bloom. Important derivatives are: foliage, folio, bloom1, blossom, flora, flour, flourish, flower, bleed, blood, bless, blade.. 1. Suffixed o-grade form *bhol-yo-, leaf. foil2, foliage, folio, defoliate, exfoliate, portfolio, from Latin folium, leaf. 2. chlorophyll, from Greek phullon, leaf. 3. from Old English blowan, to flower, from Germanic *blo-w-; a. bloom1, from Old Norse blom, blomi, flower, blossom; (from Germanic suffixed form *blo-mon-); b. blossom, from Old English blostm, blostma, flower, blossom; c. flora, floral, florid, florist, flour, flourish, flower, cauliflower, deflower, effloresce, from Latin flos (stem flor-), flower; d. suffixed form bhlo-to-, bleed, blood, from Old English blod, blood; bless, from Old English bloedsian, bletsian, to consecrate, from Germanic *blodison, to treat or hallow with blood. Both from Germanic *blo-dam, possibly from bhel-3 in the meaning “swell, gush, spurt.” 4. from Germanic suffixed form *ble-da-, blade, from Old English blæd, leaf, blade, from Germanic *bladaz. [Pokorny 4. bhel- 122.]
  26. zeugma (zoog'-muh) (dates from 1523) The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words, usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one (as in "opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy")
    • from Greek, literally, joining, from zeugnynai to join; akin to Latin jungere to join, also seen in yoke
  27. nihilism (nye' uhl iz' uhm)1. Philosophy a.An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence. b.A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. 2.Religion Rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief. 3.Politics The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement. 4. History A diffuse, revolutionary movement of mid 19th-century Russia that scorned authority and tradition and believed in reason, materialism, and radical change in society and government through terrorism and assassination. 5. Psychiatry. A delusion, experienced in some mental disorders, that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist. [Latin nihil, nothing; see ne below + -ism.] --ni hil·ist n. --nihil·is tic adj. --nihil·is ti·cal·ly adv.
    • ne from Greek for not. Important derivatives are: naught, naughty, neither, never, no1, no, none, nor1, not, nothing, nay, annul, nefarious, neuter, nice, null, nullify, annihilate, non-, neglect, negligee, negotiate, negate, deny, renegade.. 1.a.NAUGHT, (NAUGHTY), NEITHER, NEVER, NILL-1, NO-2, NONE, (NOR1), (NOT), (NOTHING), from Old English ne, not, no; b. from Old Norse ne, not; c.NIX2, from Old High German ne, ni, not. a, b, and c all from Germanic *ne-, *na-. 2.ANNUL, NEFARIOUS, NESCIENCE, NEUTER, (NICE), NULL, NULLIFY, from Latin ne-, not, none 3.NIHILISM, NIL; ANNIHILATE, from Latin nihil, nothing. 5.NON-, from Latin not 6.a.NEGLECT, (NEGLIGEE), NEGOTIATE, from Latin prefix neg-, not; b.ABNEGATE, DENY, RENEGADE, (RENEGE), from Latin negere, to deny. 7. NEPENTHE, from Greek ne-, not. 8.a. UN-1, from Old English un(e)-, not; b. IN-1, from Latin in-, not; from Greek a-, an-, not; from Sanskrit a-, an-, not. [Pokorny ne 756.]
  28. existentialism 1.A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation. 2.The doctrine that existence takes precedence over essence and holding that man is totally free and responsible for his acts. This responsibility is the source of dread and anguish that encompass mankind. Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition; William Collins Publishers, Inc.; Cleveland, Ohio; 1979.
  29. surrealism A style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc. The surrealist movement of visual art and literature, flourished in Europe between World Wars I and II. Surrealism grew principally out of the earlier Dada movement (see below), which before World War I produced works of anti-art that deliberately defied reason; but Surrealism's emphasis was not on negation but on positive expression. The movement represented a reaction against what its members saw as the destruction wrought by the "rationalism" that had guided European culture and politics in the past and had culminated in the horrors of World War I. According to the major spokesman of the movement, the poet and critic André Breton, who published "The Surrealist Manifesto" in 1924, Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely, that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in "an absolute reality, a surreality." Drawing heavily on theories adapted from Sigmund Freud, Breton saw the unconscious as the wellspring of the imagination. He defined genius in terms of accessibility to this normally untapped realm, which, he believed, could be attained by poets and painters alike. This movement continues to flourish at all ends of the earth. Continued thought processes and investigations into the mind produce today some of the best art ever seen. Click here for the source of this definition.
  30. dadaism (dah' dah iz' uhm) [French, from dada, child's word for a rocking horse] Nihilistic movement in the arts that flourished chiefly in France, Switzerland, Germany, and New York from about 1916 to about 1924 and again in the 1950s and again in the 1990s.and that was based on the principles of deliberate irrationality, anarchy, and cynicism and the rejection of laws of beauty and social organization. Nonsense is combined with absurdity to mock art and culture and beauty as most people would recognize them. Found objects, junk, trash, and deliberately spoiled or broken items are thrown together sometimes by pure chance to produce art totally innocent of anyone's political agenda.Sometimes the result is very humorous; sometimes, it is extremely shocking. Click here for the source of this definition.