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malapropism

n. a linguistic error in which one word is mistakenly used for another having a similar sound, often to ludicrous effect, as in She was wearing a cream casserole (for camisole) or I can’t eat pasta without marzipan (for parmesan). The term is named for Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Rivals (1775), whose speech is full of preposterous errors of this kind.

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Psychology term of the day

November 21st 2024

character disorder

character disorder

formerly, in psychoanalysis, an alternative name for personality disorder.