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Learn a Word Daily — Zeugma
Your Word of the Day — Zeugma: definition, nuance, usage & audio.
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Word of the Day · December 8, 2025
Zeugma
ZOOG-muh · noun
 

Definition

  1. A figure of speech in which one word applies to two others in different senses.
  2. Syntactic linking, often witty or surprising.
 

Pronunciation

🎧 Listen to pronunciation here
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Origin & Etymology

From Greek zeugma “yoke, joining.”
 

Nuance

Rhetorical/poetic; prized for concision and wit.
 

Usage

“She broke his car and his heart (zeugma).”
 

Fun Fact

Close cousin: syllepsis, where grammar or meaning shifts.
 

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