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malapropism
6 dictionary results for: malapropism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mal·a·prop·ism 
[mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
[mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, esp. by the confusion of words that are similar in sound. |
| 2. | an instance of this, as in “Lead the way and we'll precede.” |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| mal·a·prop·ism
(māl'ə-prŏp-ĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.
[From malaprop.] mal'a·prop'i·an (-prŏp'ē-ən) adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
malapropism
malapropism
1849, from Mrs. Malaprop, character in Sheridan's play "The Rivals" (1775), noted for her ridiculous misuse of large words (i.e. "contagious countries" for "contiguous countries"), her name coined from malapropos (adv.), 1668, a borrowing from Fr. mal à propos "inopportunely, inappropriately," lit. "badly for the purpose," from mal (see mal-) + proposer "propose."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| malapropism | |
noun | |
| the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
malapropism [(mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm)]
malapropism [(mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm)]
A humorous confusion of words that sound vaguely similar, as in “We have just ended our physical year” instead of “We have just ended our fiscal year.”
Note: Mrs. Malaprop, a character in an eighteenth-century British comedy, The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, constantly confuses words. Malapropisms are named after her.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Malapropism
Mal"a*prop*ism\, n. [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's drama, " The Rivals," who makes amusing blunders in her use of words. See Malapropos.] A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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