| abusage |
| Definition -
"An archaic term for misuse and defilement, revived in 1942 by Eric Partridge in the title Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English (1942). It is currently used only in his sense of improper, unidiomatic, and ungrammatical language." (Source: Oxford Companion to the English Language s.v. abusage) |
|
Oxford English Dictionary - The term's first citation (in its original sense) is from 1548: "He commaunded only ye ryght usage and not ye abusage … of ye premisses … He doth … detest ye abusers with there abusage of hys commaunded service." (Geste Preuee Masse 133) |