metanalysis

[ met-uh-nal-uh-sis ]

noun

, plural met·a·nal·y·ses [met-, uh, -, nal, -, uh, -seez].

1. a shift in the division between words in a phrase; misdivision:

   “A nickname” resulted from metanalysis of “an ekename.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of metanalysis¹

First recorded in 1910–15