solecism

noun

so·​le·​cism ˈsä-lə-ˌsi-zəm 

ˈsō-

1

: an ungrammatical combination of words in a sentence

also : a minor blunder in speech

2

: something deviating from the proper, normal, or accepted order

3

: a breach of etiquette or decorum

solecistic

ˌsä-lə-ˈsi-stik 

ˌsō-

adjective

Did you know?

The city of Soloi had a reputation for bad grammar. Located in Cilicia, an ancient coastal nation in Asia Minor, it was populated by Athenian colonists called soloikoi (literally "inhabitants of Soloi"). According to historians, the colonists of Soloi allowed their native Athenian Greek to be corrupted and started using words incorrectly. As a result, soloikos gained a new meaning: "speaking incorrectly." The Greeks used that sense as the basis of soloikismos, meaning "an ungrammatical combination of words." That root, in turn, gave rise to the Latin soloecismus, the direct ancestor of the English word solecism. Nowadays, solecism can refer to social blunders as well as sloppy syntax.

Synonyms

• familiarity
• faux pas
• gaff
• gaffe
• impropriety
• indiscretion

Examples of solecism in a Sentence

the solecism of asking one's hosts how much something in their house cost them

Recent Examples on the Web

The result is global English but one without the imprecision and solecism implied by that label. —Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022

And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once. —Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017

But the songwriter Tony Hatch has said he was inspired by Times Square—a solecism forgivable from a Brit. —Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2017

Solecism slipped into solipsism into full-blown narcissistic projection. —Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin soloecismus, from Greek soloikismos, from soloikos speaking incorrectly, literally, inhabitant of Soloi, from Soloi, city in ancient Cilicia where a substandard form of Attic was spoken

First Known Use

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

solecism

noun

so·​le·​cism ˈsäl-ə-ˌsiz-əm 

ˈsō-lə-

1

: an ungrammatical combination of words in a sentence

2

: a social blunder