verbicide

[vur-buh-sahyd]

noun

1. the willful distortion or depreciation of the original meaning of a word.

2. a person who willfully distorts the meaning of a word.

Word History and Origins

Origin of verbicide¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin verb(um) “word” + -i- + -cide

Example Sentences

Lewis’s term “verbicide,” the willful distortion or deprecation of a word’s original meaning.

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