Word.ws English Dictionary

syllepsis

/sɪˈlɛp.sɪs/

syllepsis noun: a figure of speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words such that the modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word; often causing humorous incongruity.

Noun

syllepsis (countable and uncountable, plural syllepses)

  1. (rhetoric) A figure of speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words such that the modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word; often causing humorous incongruity.
  2. Growth in which lateral branches develop from a lateral meristem, without the formation of a bud or period of dormancy, when the lateral meristem is split from a terminal meristem.
    Antonyms:
    prolepsis

syllepsis meaning in Tamil

syllepsis in Tamil

உருவகம்

Antonyms of syllepsis

Forms of syllepsis

pluralsyllepses

Origin of syllepsis

From Latin syllepsis, from Ancient Greek σύλληψις (súllēpsis), from συλλαμβάνω (sullambánō).

Questions about syllepsis

What does syllepsis mean?
Syllepsis means a figure of speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words such that the modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word; often causing humorous incongruity.
What is syllepsis in Tamil?
Syllepsis in Tamil is உருவகம். See Syllepsis meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is syllepsis?
Syllepsis is a noun.
How do you pronounce syllepsis?
Syllepsis is pronounced /sɪˈlɛp.sɪs/ (UK).
What is the plural of syllepsis?
The plural of syllepsis is syllepses.

Words near syllepsis in the dictionary

  1. Syllas
  2. syllectogram
  3. syllectograms
  4. syllectometry
  5. syllepses
  6. syllepsis
  7. sylleptic
  8. sylleptical
  9. sylleptically
  10. syllid
  11. syllids

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: syllepsis (page history and authors); syllepsis (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-syllepsis.wav.

Cite this entry: “syllepsis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/syllepsis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.