Word of the Day
Eggcorn
Pronunciation
[eg-korn]
MEANING
noun: An erroneous alteration of a word or phrase, by replacing an original word with a
similar sounding word, such that the new word or phrase also makes a kind of sense. For example: "ex-patriot" instead of "expatriate" and "mating name" instead of "maiden name".
ETYMOLOGY
Coined by linguist Geoffrey Pullum (b. 1945) in 2003. From the substitution of the word
acorn with eggcorn. Earliest documented use as a name for this phenomenon is from 2003,
though the term eggcorn has been found going back as far as 1844, as "egg corn bread" for "acorn bread".
Usage:
"Will eggcorns continue to hatch? This is a moot point (or is that mute?). Yet certainly anyone
waiting with 'baited' (bated) breath for 'whole scale' (wholesale) changes may need to wait a while."
Bill & Rich Sones; If Elevator Falls, Don't Jump to Conclusions; Salt Lake Telegram (Utah); Jul 3, 2008.
Test Your Memory: What is the meaning of the noun "Bursiform," our Word of the Day from December 30/2012 ? The answer is ...
_by_Anupam_Dhyani.JPG)
Eggcorn
Pronunciation
[eg-korn]
noun: An erroneous alteration of a word or phrase, by replacing an original word with a
similar sounding word, such that the new word or phrase also makes a kind of sense. For example: "ex-patriot" instead of "expatriate" and "mating name" instead of "maiden name".
ETYMOLOGY
Coined by linguist Geoffrey Pullum (b. 1945) in 2003. From the substitution of the word
acorn with eggcorn. Earliest documented use as a name for this phenomenon is from 2003,
though the term eggcorn has been found going back as far as 1844, as "egg corn bread" for "acorn bread".
Usage:
"Will eggcorns continue to hatch? This is a moot point (or is that mute?). Yet certainly anyone
waiting with 'baited' (bated) breath for 'whole scale' (wholesale) changes may need to wait a while."
Bill & Rich Sones; If Elevator Falls, Don't Jump to Conclusions; Salt Lake Telegram (Utah); Jul 3, 2008.
Test Your Memory: What is the meaning of the noun "Bursiform," our Word of the Day from December 30/2012 ? The answer is ...
WORDS YOU MUST KNOW
Opprobrium | Bursiform | Elysian | Mithridatism | Kaffeeklatsch | Hebdomad
Wakerife | Quadrennium | Nugacity | Cogent | Conterminous
_by_Anupam_Dhyani.JPG)
