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malapropisms

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mal⋅a⋅prop⋅ism

  [mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm]
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–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.”
Origin:
1840–50; Malaprop + -ism

Related forms:
mal⋅a⋅prop⋅is⋅tic, adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mal·a·prop·ism   (māl'ə-prŏp-ĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound.

  2. An example of such misuse.


[From malaprop.]
mal'a·prop'i·an (-prŏp'ē-ən) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

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.
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Word Origin & History

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
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