paronomasia

English

Etymology

From Latin paronomasia, from Ancient Greek παρονομασία (paronomasía, “play upon words which sound alike”), from παρα- (para-) + ὀνομασία (onomasía, “naming”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pæɹənɵˈmeɪzɪə/, /pæɹənɵˈmeɪʒə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

paronomasia (countable and uncountable, plural paronomasias)

1. (rhetoric) A pun or play on words.
   • 1936 Ian Hay: Housemaster. London Hodder & Stoughton p. 234

     Oh, by the way, any attempt to present me with any kind of testimonial will result in stern measures.
     And when I say stern measures, I am indulging in a paronomasia, or play on words! Good night.

   • 1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon:

     Ev’rywhere but at Norfolk, where talk of Passion far outweighs its Enactment,– indeed, the Sailors’ paronomasia for that wretched Place,
     is ‘No-Fuck’.

2. (rhetoric) The use of puns.
   • [1835, L[arret] Langley, A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster: Printed by C. White, Baxter-Gate, →OCLC, page 88:

     Paronomasia to the sense alludes,
     When words but little varied it includes.]

   • 1984, Anthony Burgess, Enderby's Dark Lady:

     […] he gloomily regarded his new digital watch, faintly fascinated by the onward march of the square figures
     which turned one into the other with insolent ease, a kind of numerical paronomasia.

Related terms

• paronomasiac
• paronomasic
• paronomastic

Translations

a pun or play on words

• Bulgarian: каламбур (bg) m (kalambur), игра на думи (igra na dumi)
• Catalan: paronomàsia (ca)
• Esperanto: kalemburo, vortludo
• French: paronomase (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: παρονομασία (paronomasía)

• Italian: paronomasia (it)
• Latin: paronomasia
• Polish: annominacja (pl) f, paronomazja (pl) f
• Portuguese: paronomásia (pt)
• Spanish: paronomasia (es), agnominación (es) f
• Swedish: paranomasi c
• Tagalog: paritugma

References

• Silva Rhetoricae

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin paronomasia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑronoˌmɑsiɑ/, [ˈpɑ̝ro̞no̞ˌmɑ̝s̠iɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑsiɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): pa‧rono‧masia

Noun

paronomasia

1. paronomasia

Declension

Inflection of paronomasia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		paronomasia	paronomasiat
genitive		paronomasian	paronomasioiden paronomasioitten
partitive		paronomasiaa	paronomasioita
illative		paronomasiaan	paronomasioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		paronomasia	paronomasiat
accusative	nom.	paronomasia	paronomasiat
	gen.	paronomasian
genitive		paronomasian	paronomasioiden paronomasioitten paronomasiain rare
partitive		paronomasiaa	paronomasioita
inessive		paronomasiassa	paronomasioissa
elative		paronomasiasta	paronomasioista
illative		paronomasiaan	paronomasioihin
adessive		paronomasialla	paronomasioilla
ablative		paronomasialta	paronomasioilta
allative		paronomasialle	paronomasioille
essive		paronomasiana	paronomasioina
translative		paronomasiaksi	paronomasioiksi
abessive		paronomasiatta	paronomasioitta
instructive		—	paronomasioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of paronomasia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative paronomasiani paronomasiani accusative nom. paronomasiani paronomasiani gen. paronomasiani genitive paronomasiani paronomasioideni paronomasioitteni paronomasiaini rare partitive paronomasiaani paronomasioitani inessive paronomasiassani paronomasioissani elative paronomasiastani paronomasioistani illative paronomasiaani paronomasioihini adessive paronomasiallani paronomasioillani ablative paronomasialtani paronomasioiltani allative paronomasialleni paronomasioilleni essive paronomasianani paronomasioinani translative paronomasiakseni paronomasioikseni abessive paronomasiattani paronomasioittani instructive — — comitative — paronomasioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative paronomasiasi paronomasiasi accusative nom. paronomasiasi paronomasiasi gen. paronomasiasi genitive paronomasiasi paronomasioidesi paronomasioittesi paronomasiaisi rare partitive paronomasiaasi paronomasioitasi inessive paronomasiassasi paronomasioissasi elative paronomasiastasi paronomasioistasi illative paronomasiaasi paronomasioihisi adessive paronomasiallasi paronomasioillasi ablative paronomasialtasi paronomasioiltasi allative paronomasiallesi paronomasioillesi essive paronomasianasi paronomasioinasi translative paronomasiaksesi paronomasioiksesi abessive paronomasiattasi paronomasioittasi instructive — — comitative — paronomasioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative paronomasiamme paronomasiamme accusative nom. paronomasiamme paronomasiamme gen. paronomasiamme genitive paronomasiamme paronomasioidemme paronomasioittemme paronomasiaimme rare partitive paronomasiaamme paronomasioitamme inessive paronomasiassamme paronomasioissamme elative paronomasiastamme paronomasioistamme illative paronomasiaamme paronomasioihimme adessive paronomasiallamme paronomasioillamme ablative paronomasialtamme paronomasioiltamme allative paronomasiallemme paronomasioillemme essive paronomasianamme paronomasioinamme translative paronomasiaksemme paronomasioiksemme abessive paronomasiattamme paronomasioittamme instructive — — comitative — paronomasioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative paronomasianne paronomasianne accusative nom. paronomasianne paronomasianne gen. paronomasianne genitive paronomasianne paronomasioidenne paronomasioittenne paronomasiainne rare partitive paronomasiaanne paronomasioitanne inessive paronomasiassanne paronomasioissanne elative paronomasiastanne paronomasioistanne illative paronomasiaanne paronomasioihinne adessive paronomasiallanne paronomasioillanne ablative paronomasialtanne paronomasioiltanne allative paronomasiallenne paronomasioillenne essive paronomasiananne paronomasioinanne translative paronomasiaksenne paronomasioiksenne abessive paronomasiattanne paronomasioittanne instructive — — comitative — paronomasioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative paronomasiansa paronomasiansa accusative nom. paronomasiansa paronomasiansa gen. paronomasiansa genitive paronomasiansa paronomasioidensa paronomasioittensa paronomasiainsa rare partitive paronomasiaansa paronomasioitaan paronomasioitansa inessive paronomasiassaan paronomasiassansa paronomasioissaan paronomasioissansa elative paronomasiastaan paronomasiastansa paronomasioistaan paronomasioistansa illative paronomasiaansa paronomasioihinsa adessive paronomasiallaan paronomasiallansa paronomasioillaan paronomasioillansa ablative paronomasialtaan paronomasialtansa paronomasioiltaan paronomasioiltansa allative paronomasialleen paronomasiallensa paronomasioilleen paronomasioillensa essive paronomasianaan paronomasianansa paronomasioinaan paronomasioinansa translative paronomasiakseen paronomasiaksensa paronomasioikseen paronomasioiksensa abessive paronomasiattaan paronomasiattansa paronomasioittaan paronomasioittansa instructive — — comitative — paronomasioineen paronomasioinensa

Italian

Etymology

From Latin paronomasia.

Noun

paronomasia f (plural paronomasie)

1. paronomasia

Related terms

• paronomastico

Further reading

• paronomasia in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παρονομασία (paronomasía, “play upon words which sound alike”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /pa.ro.noˈma.si.a/, [pärɔnɔˈmäs̠iä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /pa.ro.noˈma.si.a/, [päronoˈmäːs̬iä]

Noun

paronomasia f (genitive paronomasiae); first declension

1. A figure of speech; pun or play on words which sound alike but have different meanings, paronomasia.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	paronomasia	paronomasiae
genitive	paronomasiae	paronomasiārum
dative	paronomasiae	paronomasiīs
accusative	paronomasiam	paronomasiās
ablative	paronomasiā	paronomasiīs
vocative	paronomasia	paronomasiae

Synonyms

• (paronomasia): agnōminātiō

Descendants

• Catalan: paronomàsia
• French: paronomase
• English: paronomasia
• Italian: paronomasia
• Portuguese: paronomásia
• Spanish: paronomasia

References

• “paronomasia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• paronomasia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “paronomasia”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Ryan Stark, Rhetoric, Science, and Magic in Seventeenth-Century England (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009), 190-95.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paɾonoˈmasja/ [pa.ɾo.noˈma.sja]
• Rhymes: -asja
• Syllabification: pa‧ro‧no‧ma‧sia

Noun

paronomasia f (plural paronomasias)

1. paronomasia

Further reading

• “paronomasia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10