Pār'o-no-mā'sĭ-ā, n.

(-mā'zhī-ā), n. [Gr. παρονομασία, from παρανομάζειν, to form a word by a slight change, from παρά, beside, beyond, and ὀνομάζειν, to name, from ὄνομα, a name; Lat. paronomasia, Fr. paronomase, paronomasie.] (Rhet.) A play upon words; a figure by which the same word is used in different senses, or words similar in sound are set in opposition to each other, so as to give a kind of antithetical force to the sentence; punning.