Word every Gracious Individual should know: Catachresis
Definition: Catachresis; (Pronounced: cat·a·chre·sis) Greek; adjective
1. Use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speech; use of the wrong word for the context
Why I love this word:
Catachresis is the misapplication of a word or phrase to create a deliberately strained figure or a mixed metaphor. Usually you see this a lot in poetry. However, in non poetic writing and speech, catachresis can be problematic, but poets have used it to achieve great compression and rhetorical energy.
Photograph by Ben Sasso
Definition: Catachresis; (Pronounced: cat·a·chre·sis) Greek; adjective
1. Use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speech; use of the wrong word for the context
Why I love this word:
Catachresis is the misapplication of a word or phrase to create a deliberately strained figure or a mixed metaphor. Usually you see this a lot in poetry. However, in non poetic writing and speech, catachresis can be problematic, but poets have used it to achieve great compression and rhetorical energy.
Photograph by Ben Sasso