Definitions

dead metaphor

  dead metaphor

noun

A figure of speech whose metaphorical meaning has become so familiar over time that its literal meaning is forgotten or goes unnoticed, as in arrive at a conclusion or cast a glance.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"dead metaphor." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor>.

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dead metaphor. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor

Noun

(plural dead metaphors)

  1. (linguistics) A former metaphor which has in effect lost its metaphorical status and become literal, e.g. "electric current" (electricity was at first thought to be analogous to water). Not to be confused with stale metaphor (a type of cliché), although it often is.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
  • Link/Cite
Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"dead metaphor." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor>.

APA Style

dead metaphor. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/dead-metaphor


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Also Mentioned In


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WORDS NEAR dead metaphor IN THE DICTIONARY


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