folk etymology

American  

noun

1. a modification of a linguistic form according either to a falsely assumed etymology, as Welsh rarebit from Welsh rabbit, or to a historically irrelevant analogy, as bridegroom from bridegome.

2. a popular but false notion of the origin of a word.

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folk etymology British  

noun

1. the gradual change in the form of a word through the influence of a more familiar word or phrase with which it becomes associated, as for example sparrow-grass for asparagus

2. a popular but erroneous conception of the origin of a word

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Etymology

Origin of folk etymology

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

It was only a matter of time before this pseudo-etymology, or folk etymology, became the main usage.

From New York Times • May 23, 2018

This common meaning for outrage actually grows out of a vagary of folk etymology.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2014

At Queensferry, by a folk etymology, one of the lads wears a coat stuck over with burrs. 

From Modern Mythology by Lang, Andrew

Historical note: Some have said this term came from telephone company usage, in which "bugs in a telephone cable" were blamed for noisy lines, but this appears to be an incorrect folk etymology.

From The Jargon File, Version 2.9.10, 01 Jul 1992 by Raymond, Eric S.

It is, in effect, a folk etymology of the name of the great capital of the Eastern Empire. 

From Old French Romances by Morris, William