| Definition: A comically incorrect word that is mistakenly used in place of another similar word. |
| Example:
He committed a carnival sin.
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| Etymology: The word derives from the name Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775). She ridiculously misused large words. Sheridan derived her name from the French mal à propos, which literally means "badly for the purpose" (from French mal, bad + proposer, propose). |
Oxford English Dictionary: The word's first OED citation is from 1849: "A malapropism which rumour had not failed to repeat."
(C. Bronte, Shirley II. vi. 145) |