metaforisk

Metaforisk is an adjective used in Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish to describe language, thought, or representation that relies on metaphor. It denotes figurative rather than literal meaning and is used to refer to expressions, imagery, or reasoning that transfers properties from one domain to another. Common phrases include metaforisk uttrykk (metaphorical expression), metaforisk språk (metaphorical language), and metaforisk tenkning (metaphorical thinking).

Etymology: From the noun metafor (metaphor), from Greek metaphorē, with the Scandinavian suffix -isk to form an adjective meaning pertaining to.

Examples: Dette er en metaforisk framstilling (This is a metaphorical presentation). Hans metaforiske språk gjør komplekse ideer mer tilgjengelige (His metaphorical language makes complex ideas more accessible).

Usage in scholarship: In literary studies and rhetoric metaforisk language is analyzed as a figure of speech; in cognitive linguistics, metaphor is studied as a cognitive mechanism, and metaforisk thought describes how people reason with domain mappings (for example, time is money). The term is primarily used in Scandinavian contexts; English texts typically use "metaphorical" or "metaphorical language."

See also: metaphor, figurative language, conceptual metaphor theory.