How you say it: [mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm]
What it is: noun
How to pluralize it: malapropisms
What it means: (1.) an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound. (2.) an instance of this, as in “Lead the way and we'll precede.” (Definition courtesy of Dictionary.com.)
(Side note: precede means to come before something, as in "The Boston Tea Party preceded the American Revolution," whereas proceed means to move forward, as in "We'll proceed as planned.")
Use it three times and it's yours! Using a word three times can help it stick in your memory.
The writer's malapropisms were so varied and ridiculous that nobody took her seriously.
Sometimes, the auto-correct feature on phones can lead to hilarious malapropisms.
I believe, sir, that you just uttered the worst malapropism that I have ever heard.
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This may be the first Word of the Week that I have recognized on site. Thank you, 8th grade Honors English!
ReplyDelete1.) Dogberry, of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, is perhaps the most well known user of malapropism in fiction.
2.) Editing -and laughing over- my best friend's malapropisms is one of the best parts of writing together.
3.) My school counselor made a malapropism in his announcement yesterday, to my great amusement.
Well, they're nothing fancy, but I think they'll do.