abusage
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Abusage first appeared in the 16th century as a general synonym of abuse, but it fell into disuse after just a couple of centuries. The word reemerged in the language with a new grammar-specific sense after Eric Partridge published a book on grammar titled Usage and Abusage in 1942.
Noun[edit]
abusage (plural abusages)
- (obsolete) Abuse. [Attested from the mid 16th century until the mid 17th century.][1]
- Improper or incorrect use of language. [First attested in the mid 20th century.][1]
- A stickler for the rules of grammar, Mrs. Walker cringes when she encounters any abusage by the students in her freshman English class.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 10
