Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

allegory

 - 3 dictionary results

al⋅le⋅go⋅ry

  [al-uh-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee]
Use allegory in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ries.
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).
Origin:
1350–1400; ME allegorie < L allēgoria < Gk allēgoría, deriv. of allēgoreîn to speak so as to imply something other. See allo-, agora; Gk agoreúein to speak, proclaim, orig. meant to act (e.g., speak) in the assembly

Synonyms:
2. fable, parable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To allegory
al·le·go·ry   (āl'ĭ-gôr'ē, -gōr'ē)   
n.   pl. al·le·go·ries

    1. The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.

    2. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories.

  2. A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice.


[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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Bible Dictionary

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.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Search another word or see allegory on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way