Table of Contents
The word for today is…
catechresis (noun) -
1: use of the wrong word for the context
2: use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speech (such as blind mouths)
Source : Merriam-Webster
Etymology : As you might have guessed, catachresis is a word favored by grammarians. It can sometimes be used merely as a fancy label of disparagement for uses the grammarian finds unacceptable -as when Henry Fowler insisted in 1926 that mutual in "our mutual friend" was a catachresis. (Fowler preferred common, but mutual does have an established sense which is correct in that context.) The earliest recorded uses of catachresis date to the mid-16th century, and it has been used to describe (or decry) misuses of a word ever since. Catachresis comes to us by way of Latin from the Greek word katachrēsis, which means "misuse."
If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.
