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| syl·lep·sis [ si lépsiss ] (plural syl·lep·ses [ si lép sz ]) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. grammatical agreement with only one element: the use of a word that relates to, qualifies, or governs two or more other words but agrees in number, gender, or case with only one of them. "Neither Fred nor I want to" is an example of syllepsis, where "want" agrees with "I" but not "Fred."
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2. different semantic relationship: the use of a word that relates to, qualifies, or governs two or more other words but has a different meaning in relation to each, as in the example "He picked up his hat and a taxi"
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| [Late 16th century. Via late Latin< Greek sullēpsis "a taking together" < sullambanein (see syllable)] |
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