syllepsis.

1. A construction in which one expression applies to two or more others with a different meaning or manner of application.

2. A construction in which one grammatical form serves coordinated terms while agreeing formally with only one.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• semantic syllepsis
• a witty syllepsis

On the page

Her claim that he lost his keys and his patience used syllepsis.

The writer’s syllepsis joined a physical loss to an emotional one.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular syllepsis; plural syllepses. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.