Tertium comparationis

Tertium comparationis

"Tertium comparationis" (Latin = the third [part] of the comparison) is the quality that two things which are being compared have in common. It is the point of comparison which prompted the author of the comparison in question to liken someone or something to someone or something else in the first place.

If a comparison visualizes an action, state, quality, object, or a person by means of a parallel which is drawn to a different entity, the two things which are being compared do not necessarily have to be identical. However, they must possess at least one quality in common. This common quality has traditionally been referred to as "tertium comparationis".

The most common devices used to achieve this are metaphors and similes, especially, but by no means exclusively, in poetic language. In many cases one aspect of the comparison is implied rather than made explicit.

Examples

*Necessity is the mother of invention. (English proverb):Objects of comparison: relationship between mother and child, relationship between necessity and invention:"Tertium comparationis": source, where something derives from
*Woman is the nigger of the world. (John Lennon):Objects of comparison: treatment of blacks by US culture, treatment of women by the world culture:"Tertium comparationis": inhumane treatment, subjugation, discrimination
*Goodbye, England's rose. (Elton John on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales):Objects of comparison: rose; Diana, Princess of Wales:"Tertium comparationis": beauty

*If they [our two souls] be two, they are two so
:"As" stiff twin compasses are two;
:Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
:To move, but doth, if th'other do.
::(John Donne: "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning") (Read the [http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/682.html whole poem] .)

:Objects of comparison: two souls; twin compasses:"Tertium comparationis": a non-physical link between separate objects that causes action in one to result in action to the other.


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  • Tertium comparationis — ist ein Begriff der Rhetorik und steht lateinisch für das Dritte des Vergleiches. Mit ihm wird bezeichnet die Gemeinsamkeit zweier verschiedener, miteinander zu vergleichender Gegenstände oder Sachverhalte in Metaphern und bei der Metonymie. in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • TERTIUM COMPARATIONIS —         (лат.) третий член сравнения, критерий сравнения. Философский энциклопедический словарь. М.: Советская энциклопедия. Гл. редакция: Л. Ф. Ильичёв, П. Н. Федосеев, С. М. Ковалёв, В. Г. Панов. 1983 …   Философская энциклопедия

  • Tertium comparationis — (lat., »das Dritte der Vergleichung«), der Vergleichungspunkt, das, worin zwei verglichene Dinge übereinstimmen …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Tertium Comparationis — Tẹr|ti|um Com|pa|ra|ti|o|nis 〈[ tsjum tsjo: ] n.; , tia 〉 das zum Vergleich herangezogene Dritte, der Vergleichspunkt [<lat. tertium „das dritte“ + comparationis, Gen. von comparatio „Vergleich“] * * * …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Tertium Comparationis — Ter|ti|um Com|pa|ra|ti|o|nis [ k...] das; , ...ia <aus lat. tertium comparationis »das Dritte der Vergleichung«, zu tertius »Dritter« u. comparatio »Vergleich(ung)«> Vergleichspunkt, das Gemeinsame zweier verschiedener, miteinander… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • Tertium Comparationis — Tẹr|ti|um Com|pa|ra|ti|o|nis 〈[ tsjum] n.; Gen.: , Pl.: tia 〉 das zum Vergleich herangezogene Dritte, der Vergleichspunkt [Etym.: <lat. tertium »das dritte« + comparationis, Gen. zu comparatio »Vergleich«] …   Lexikalische Deutsches Wörterbuch

  • têrtium comparatiónis — têrtiuma comparatiónis [tercium komparacionis] m (ȇ ọ̄) lit. vmesni člen, ki povezuje primerjani enoti, tretje pri primeri …   Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika

  • tertium comparationis —    (loc.s.m.) È la qualità comune alle cose simili. Es. la forza ed il coraggio di un leone e dell uomo che gli viene paragonato. simile, dissimile …   Dizionario di retorica par stefano arduini & matteo damiani

  • Tertium Comparationis — Tẹr|ti|um Com|pa|ra|ti|o|nis, das; , ...ia <lateinisch> (Vergleichspunkt) …   Die deutsche Rechtschreibung

  • tertium comparationis — …   Useful english dictionary

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