Japanese

Noun

枕詞 ‎(hiragana まくらことば, romaji makura kotoba)

1. an epithet, specifically a poetic device where a certain introductory phrase is commonly used to allude to something else, traditionally used in 和歌 ‎(waka, “traditional Japanese poetry”)

   Over time, certain makura kotoba may become full metonyms to replace the term they originally only alluded to, such as the Old Japanese phrase niwa tsu tori or “garden bird” replacing the older term kake to mean “chicken”, as in the modern Japanese term 鶏 ‎(niwatori). An example of such a makura kotoba:

   711-712, Kojiki (Kami tsu maki)

   爾波都登理　迦祁波那久

   庭つ鳥　鶏は鳴く

   にわつとり　かけはなく

   niwa tsu tori, kake wa naku

   the garden bird, the chicken clucks

Related terms

• 掛詞 ‎(かけことば, kake kotoba): a pun or play on words