metaforici

Metaforici is the Italian adjective and plural form used to refer to things related to metaphor or metaphorical language. In literary, rhetorical, and linguistic contexts, it describes expressions, images, or styles that convey meaning through metaphor rather than literal terms.

Etymology and usage: The term derives from metaforico, from the Greek elements meta- (“across, beyond”) and pherein (“to carry”), through Latin and into Italian. The related noun metafora means “metaphor.” In Italian criticism, metaforici language or passages are those that shift meaning by transferring properties from one domain to another.

In literature and linguistics: Metaforici devices are central to many analyses of style and meaning. Critics use the term to discuss how metaphor shapes perception, emotion, and narrative effect. In cognitive linguistics, metaphor is often treated as a fundamental mechanism of thought, an idea popularized by theories such as the conceptual metaphor framework, which emphasizes how metaphor underlies everyday language and reasoning as well as artistic expression.

Examples: Metaphorical expressions include phrases like “un mare di silenzio” (a sea of silence) or “la mente è una macchina” (the mind is a machine), where understood meanings extend beyond literal interpretation. Such usages are described as metaforici because they rely on figurative transfer rather than direct description.

See also: metafora, metonimia, allegoria.