Met"a*phor (?), n. [F. m'etaphore, L. metaphora, fr. Gr. , fr. to carry over, transfer; meta` beyond, over + fe`rein to bring, bear.] Rhet.
The transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea.
Abbott & Seeley. "All the world's a stage."
Shak.
⇒ The statement, "that man is a fox," is a metaphor; but "that man is like a fox," is a simile, similitude, or comparison.
© Webster 1913.