different between malapropism vs catachresis

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”). 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.

The name Mrs. Malaprop itself comes from French mal à propos which means improperly, amiss, or ill-timed.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?mæl?p??p?z?m/
• (US) enPR: m?l??-prä-p?z-?m, IPA^(key): /?mæl?p???p?z?m/

Noun

malapropism (countable and uncountable, plural malapropisms)

1. (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.

2. (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.

Synonyms

• (instance of malapropism): malaprop, catachresis

Translations

See also

• Examples of malapropisms
• eggcorn
• folk etymology
• mondegreen
• spoonerism

English

Alternative forms

• catechresis, katachresis (both 17th century, obsolete)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin catachr?sis, borrowed from Ancient Greek ?????????? (katákhr?sis, “misuse (of a word)”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kæt.??k?i?.s?s/

Noun

catachresis (plural catachreses)

1. A misuse of a word; an application of a term to something which it does not properly denote.
   1. (often, especially) Such a misuse involving some similarity of sound between the misused word and the appropriate word.
2. (rhetoric) A misapplication or overextension of figurative or analogical description; a wrongly-applied metaphor or trope.

Synonyms

• (misuse of a word, regardless of similar sounds): misnomer
• (misuse of a word, with similar sounds): malapropism
• ((rhetoric) bad metaphor or trope): abusio

Related terms

• catachresized
• catachrestic
• catachrestical
• catachrestically

Translations

References