SOLECISM

Solecism

In traditional grammar, a solecism is a phrase that trespasses grammatical boundaries. The word was originally used by the Greeks for what they perceived as mistakes in their language. Ancient Athenians considered the dialect of the inhabitants of their colony Soli in Cilicia to be a corrupted form of their own pure Attic dialect, full of "solecisms" .

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Solecism
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

solecism

Noun

  1. Erroneous or improper usage; absurdity.
  2. Error in the use of language.
  3. In written language, the intentional use of misspelling and/or incorrect grammar to effect the vernacular of a particular dialect.
  4. A faux pas or breach of etiquette; a transgression against the norms of expected behavior.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: solecism
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!