amphibology

[ am-fuh-bol-uh-jee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural am·phi·bol·o·gies.

amphibology

/ æmˌfɪbəˈlɒdʒɪkəl; æmˈfɪbəlɪ; ˌæmfɪˈbɒlədʒɪ; æmˈfɪbələs /

ambiguity of expression, esp when due to a grammatical construction, as in save rags and waste paper

1325–75; Middle English amphibologie < Late Latin amphibologia. See amphiboly, -logy

C14: from Late Latin amphibologia, ultimately from Greek amphibolos ambiguous; see amphibole , -logy

Amphibology, am-fib-ol′o-ji, n. the use of ambiguous phrases or such as can be construed in two senses.

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