Punning

views updated

336. Punning

adnomination
Obsolete, the act of wordplay; punning. Also called agnomination , annomination .
equivocality, equivocacy
the state or quality of being ambiguous in meaning or capable of double interpretation. equivocal, adj.
equivoque, equivoke
1. an equivocal term or ambiguous expression.
2. a play upon words; pun.
paronomasia
1. Rhetoric. the use of a word in different senses or the use of words similar in sound for effect, as humor or ambiguity; punning.
2. a pun. paronomastic, adj.
punnology
the study of puns and punning. punnologist, n.

More From encyclopedia.com