Metaphorise

Metaphorise is a verb meaning to describe or express something by means of a metaphor, or to turn a concept into a metaphor by drawing cross-domain connections. It is used in rhetoric, literary analysis, and discourse to convey ideas through figurative language.

Spelling and variants: The form metaphorise follows British English conventions, while American English typically uses metaphorize or metaphorize. The noun form is metaphor, and in some sources “metaphorization” or “metaphorisation” may appear, though the latter two are less common.

Etymology and sense: The term combines metaphor with the agentive suffix -ise/-ize, itself from the Greek metaphorē, and ultimately from meta- “across” or “beyond” plus pherein “to carry.” In linguistics and literary studies, metaphorisation can refer to analyzing or describing a concept by mapping it onto a familiar domain, as in treating time as a river or a mind as a machine.

Usage notes: Metaphorise is more common in British texts; in other contexts, writers may prefer phrases like “employ a metaphor” or “use a metaphor.” The act of metaphorising is central to many discussions of figurative language and to cognitive linguistics, which examine how metaphors structure thought and communication.

Related concepts: Metaphor; metaphorical mapping; conceptual metaphor theory, which argues that many abstract ideas are understood through everyday experiences via metaphor. The term is distinct from merely using a metaphor; it denotes the process of creating or applying figurative language to convey meaning.