The metonymic and metaphorical development of the Greek term μηρός
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34624/agora.27.42027Keywords:
Greek semantics, body parts, thigh, metonymy, metaphorAbstract
This paper analyses the semantic development of the Greek term μηρός ‘thigh’ from Indo-European *mē(m)s- ‘flesh’. To this end, we briefly identify its anatomical reference in the Homeric text and introduce the root and its complexities. Subsequently, we examine the cognitiveassociative processes involved, aiming to demonstrate the presence of not only the metonymy “fleshy” → “fleshy part”, but also a metaphor based on the analogy between the animal thigh and the human thigh.
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