At its broadest, Zeugma is a rhetorical term referring to the linking of two or more parts of speech by another part of speech -- usually a verb. Zeugma involves ellipsis and parallelism. Whether or not the linking is appropriate to both secondary parts depends on the person defining zeugma. Some define zeugma so as to describe the situation where the controlling part of speech properly suits only one of the objects governed; others define zeugma to include cases where the governing word means different things in connection with the two or more objects governed. This may be called syllepsis.
Featured Thursday's term to Learn.
Zeugma with proper, but different verb capable of inference from the context: "Wage war and peace." Wage is not quite right for peace. The proper verb, suggested by the sentence, is "make".
Zeugma as two different meanings for one word: he threw the ball and the game. Throw refers to a directional activity vis a vis the ball, but something entirely different with respect to the game.
