al⋅le⋅go⋅ry
[al-uh-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee] 
əˌgɔr
| 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 Piers Plowman. |
| 3. | emblem (def. 3). |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| al·le·go·ry (āl'ĭ-gôr'ē, -gōr'ē) n. pl. al·le·go·ries
[Middle English allegorie, from Latin allēgoria, from Greek, from allēgorein, to interpret allegorically : allos, other; see al-1 in Indo-European roots + agoreuein, to speak publicly (from agora, marketplace; see ger- in Indo-European roots).] al'le·go'rist n. |
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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 or discourse, in which the principal subject is described by another subject resembling it in its properties and circumstances. The real subject is thus kept out of view, and we are left to collect the intentions of the writer or speaker by the resemblance of the secondary to the primary subject. 2. Anything which represents by suggestive resemblance; an emblem. 3. (Paint. & Sculpt.) A figure representation which has a meaning beyond notion directly conveyed by the object painted or sculptured. Syn: Metaphor; fable. Usage: Allegory, Parable. "An allegory differs both from fable and parable, in that the properties of persons are fictitiously represented as attached to things, to which they are as it were transferred. . . . A figure of Peace and Victory crowning some historical personage is an allegory. "I am the Vine, ye are the branches" [--John xv. 1-6] is a spoken allegory. In the parable there is no transference of properties. The parable of the sower [--Matt. xiii. 3-23] represents all things as according to their proper nature. In the allegory quoted above the properties of the vine and the relation of the branches are transferred to the person of Christ and His apostles and disciples." --C. J. Smith. Note: An allegory is a prolonged metaphor. Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" and Spenser's "Fa["e]rie Queene" are celebrated examples of the allegory.Cite This Source
allegory [(al-uh-gawr-ee)]
A story that has a deeper or more general meaning in addition to its surface meaning. Allegories are composed of several symbols or metaphors. For example, in The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, the character named Christian struggles to escape from a bog or swamp. The story of his difficulty is a symbol of the difficulty of leading a good life in the “bog” of this world. The “bog” is a metaphor or symbol of life's hardships and distractions. Similarly, when Christian loses a heavy pack that he has been carrying on his back, this symbolizes his freedom from the weight of sin that he has been carrying.
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allegory
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Allegory
used only in Gal. 4:24, where the apostle refers to the history of Isaac the free-born, and Ishmael the slave-born, and makes use of it allegorically. Every parable is an allegory. Nathan (2 Sam. 12:1-4) addresses David in an allegorical narrative. In the eightieth Psalm there is a beautiful allegory: "Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt," etc. In Eccl. 12:2-6, there is a striking allegorical description of old age.
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