Zeugma is a noun that refers to a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses.

The Greek word zugon (ZOO gone) means ‘to yoke.’ Our word of the day refers to a situation where two different meanings are yoked into one. Example:

When I said, ‘Corey opened his door and his mind to the strangers who entered his home,’ my son didn’t understand that I was using a zeugma. But I suppose at his age, he doesn’t yet grasp the idea of a figure of speech.