malapropism
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See also: Malapropism
English
Etymology
From the name of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in the play The Rivals (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan + -ism. As dramatic characters in English comic plays of this time often had allusive names, it is likely that Sheridan fashioned the name from malapropos (“inappropriate; inappropriately”), from French mal à propos. Mrs. Malaprop is perhaps the best-known example of a familiar comedic character archetype who unintentionally substitutes inappropriate but like-sounding words that take on a ludicrous meaning when used incorrectly.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmæləpɹɒpˌɪzəm/
- (US) enPR: mălʹə-prä-pĭzʹ-əm, IPA(key): /ˈmæləpɹɑpˌɪzəm/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
malapropism (countable and uncountable, plural malapropisms)
- (uncountable) The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar-sounding one.
- The script employed malapropism to great effect.
- (countable) An instance of this; malaprop.
- The translator matched every malapropism in the original with one from his own language.
- The humor comes from all the malapropisms.
Alternative forms
Synonyms
- (instance of malapropism): malaprop, catachresis
Translations
the blundering use of a similar-sounding expression
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See also
- acyrologia
- eggcorn
- folk etymology
- misnomer (“a word that is well-known to seem to refer to something other than its referent but is nonetheless usually correct”)
- mondegreen
- phantonym (“a word that invites catachrestic use because of its sound or appearance”)
- spoonerism