noun
pivot word; kakekotoba; pun in poetry
A rhetorical device in classical Japanese poetry (waka) where a word carries two different meanings simultaneously, often creating a pivot between phrases. Not a simple pun; it is a structural technique.
古今和歌集には掛詞が多く使われている。
Many pivot words are used in the Kokin Wakashū.
この和歌の「松」は「待つ」との掛詞になっている。
In this waka, 'matsu' (pine) is a pivot word with 'matsu' (to wait).
Variant spelling; very uncommon.
Compound of 掛け (kake, 'hanging' or 'applying') + 言葉 (kotoba, 'word'). The term reflects how one word is 'hung' across two semantic contexts.