solecism
[ sol-uh-siz-uhm, soh-luh- ]
/ ˈsɒl əˌsɪz əm, ˈsoʊ lə- /
noun
a nonstandard or ungrammatical usage, as unflammable and they was.
a breach of good manners or etiquette.
any error, impropriety, or inconsistency.
QUIZZES
DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!
It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
Origin of solecism
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin soloecismus “grammatical mistake,” from Greek soloikismós “incorrect use of language” (whether of individual words or in syntax), equivalent to sóloik(os), adjective formed from Sólo(i) (a city in Cilicia founded by Doric-speaking Greeks from Rhodes, whose local dialect Athenians considered corrupt) + -ik(os) + -ismos; see -ic,-ism
OTHER WORDS FROM solecism
sol·e·cist, nounsol·e·cis·tic, sol·e·cis·ti·cal, adjectivesol·e·cis·ti·cal·ly, adverbWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH solecism
solecism , solipsism.Words nearby solecism
soldiery, soldo, sold-out, sole, sole-charge school, solecism, sole custody, solely, solemn, Solemn High Mass, solemnify
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for solecism
British Dictionary definitions for solecism
solecism
/ (ˈsɒlɪˌsɪzəm) /
noun
- the nonstandard use of a grammatical construction
- any mistake, incongruity, or absurdity
a violation of good manners
Derived forms of solecism
solecist, nounsolecistic or solecistical, adjectivesolecistically, adverbWord Origin for solecism
C16: from Latin soloecismus, from Greek soloikismos, from soloikos speaking incorrectly, from Soloi an Athenian colony of Cilicia where the inhabitants spoke a corrupt form of Greek
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012