Allegory

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈælɪɡəɹi/

Definitions

1. A symbolic story or artistic representation where characters and events serve to illustrate deeper moral or philosophical concepts is often utilized
2. The use of a narrative or visual form in which the characters, events, and settings symbolize abstract ideas, conveying moral lessons or truths is typical
3. A narrative or image that uses symbolic figures and actions to express hidden meanings or ideas beyond the literal

Etymology: Greek speakers built "allegory" from a phrase meaning "speaking otherwise." The first part, "allos," meant "other" or "different," and the second came from "agoreuein," "to speak in the assembly." Put together, the root idea is saying one thing while meaning another. The Greek noun "allegoria" named figurative or metaphorical language, and it passed into Latin as "allegoria," where it still meant a figurative way of speaking, including parables. The word reached English in the Middle Ages through French, which had taken it from Latin. In its early English uses it carried a specific sense from Christian biblical interpretation, where one of four methods of reading scripture looked beneath the literal text for hidden spiritual meaning. The sense of a story with a concealed moral followed from that practice of reading for a second meaning. The English suffix "-y," which forms abstract nouns of condition or quality, was attached to the borrowed stem, producing the modern noun. The verb "allegorize" was later formed from the noun.

Synonyms: parable, fable, symbolism, metaphor, representation

Antonyms: literalism, fact, reality, truth, nonfiction