allegory

allegory
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. alias)) + agoreuein "speak openly, speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly" (see AGORA (Cf. agora)).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(in which what is stated as a fact is figuratively applied), , , , ,


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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] 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

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