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 — (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.… … Etymology 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 — /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
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•le•go•ry [[t]ˈæl əˌgɔr i, ˌgoʊr i[/t]] n. pl. ries 1) the representation of spiritual, moral, or other abstract meanings through the actions of fictional characters that serve as symbols 2) an allegorical or figurative narrative, poem, or the… … From formal English to slang
allegory — noun (plural ries) Etymology: Middle English allegorie, from Latin allegoria, from Greek allēgoria, from allēgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + ēgorein to speak publicly, from agora assembly more at else, agora Date: 14th century … New Collegiate Dictionary
allegory — n. (pl. ies) 1 a story, play, poem, picture, etc., in which the meaning or message is represented symbolically. 2 the use of such symbols. 3 a symbol. Derivatives: allegorist n. Etymology: ME f. OF allegorie f. L allegoria f. Gk allegoria f.… … Useful english dictionary
allegory — [14] Etymologically, allegory means ‘speaking otherwise’. It comes from a Greek compound based on allos ‘other’ (which is related to Latin alius, as in English alibi and alias, and to English else) and agoreúein ‘speak publicly’ (derived from… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
allegory — /ˈæləgəri / (say aluhguhree), / gri/ (say gree) noun (plural allegories) 1. figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another; a presentation of an abstract or spiritual meaning under concrete or material forms. 2. a symbolic… …
allegory — [14] Etymologically, allegory means ‘speaking otherwise’. It comes from a Greek compound based on allos ‘other’ (which is related to Latin alius, as in English alibi and alias, and to English else) and agoreúein ‘speak publicly’ (derived from… … Word origins
