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Transferred epithet

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An adjective or epithet transferred from the noun it logically describes to another noun closely associated with it for poetic effect

Detailed Definition
An epithet that grammatically modifies a word it does not logically describe, transferring the adjective’s quality to another element for poetic effect; transferred epithets can deepen imagery, as in “sleepless night” meaning the person was sleepless.
Example
Example in poetry:
Attribute transferred from subject to related object; “Sleepless night” instead of “I was sleepless”; Descriptive shift to another noun; Swapping qualities between linked terms.
Additional Notes
Adjective describing something associated indirectly with noun; creates figurative expression. Hypallage. Study Shakespeare. Enhances poetic density. Effective for emotional attribution.
Also Known As
Shifted attributive Reassigned modifier Figurative epithet Inverted adjective use Grammatical substitution Hypallage Hypallage (related) Metalepsis
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