folk etymology
a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one through popular usage.
'Muskrat,' 'Helpmate,' and 6 More Folk Etymologies - Merriam-Webster
The muskrat is a North American animal for which there was no name in English, so the indigenous name was altered to make it seem more familiar to English ...
Folk etymology Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of FOLK ETYMOLOGY is the transformation of words so as to give them an apparent relationship to other better-known or better-understood words ...
folk etymology - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
A misunderstanding of the etymology of a word based on an inexpert analysis; an etymology that incorrectly explains the origin of a word.
Folk etymology is usually described as a type of false analogy, which alters the form or meaning of an unfamiliar term so as to reflect the connection.
Overview of Folk Etymology - ThoughtCo
Folk etymology refers to a change in the form or pronunciation of a word resulting from a mistaken assumption about its composition or ...
folk | Etymology of folk by etymonline
German masc. name and surname, literally "folk-rule" (Dutch Diederik), from Old High German Theodric, from theuda "folk,...
FOLK ETYMOLOGY definition | Cambridge English Dictionary
FOLK ETYMOLOGY meaning: 1. an explanation for the origin of a word that is believed to be true, but is, in fact, wrong: 2…. Learn more.
The Stories Behind The Most Common English Folk Etymologies
Folk etymology is in the same genre of story as folk tales. They're invented to explain how something came to be — in this case, words ...
folk-etymology (n.) - Etymonline
Old English folc "common people, laity; men; people, nation, tribe; multitude; troop, army," from Proto-Germanic *fulka- (source also of Old ...
FOLK ETYMOLOGY Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.com
Folk etymology definition: a modification of a linguistic form according either to a falsely assumed etymology, as Welsh rarebit from Welsh rabbit, ...
Folk etymology is when a word or phrase is changed – phonetically, orthographically, or both – to better fit a mistaken idea about its ...
Folk Etymologies - The New Inquiry
The term has its roots in domestic violence: a British law stipulated that a man could beat his wife provided he used a switch no wider than his own thumb.
What the Folk? The Charming Yet Totally Malappropriate Story of ...
Folk etymology is essentially that moment when speakers try to mansplain the origins of idioms in an effort to understand them.
alphaDictionary Glossary of Folk Etymology: Funny Word Histories
Folk etymology isn't real etymology, which is determined by rules of language change over time; it does not reflect natural historical changes in words.
When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or popular etymology). Nevertheless, folk/popular ...
Here's a real folk etymology: folk (n.) Old English folc "common people, laity; men; people, nation, tribe; multitude; troop, army," from Proto-Germanic *fulka ...
folk, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
The earliest known use of the noun folk is in the Old English period (pre-1150). See etymology ...
What are some examples of folk etymology? - Quora
Bridegrooms, Bonfires, and Woodchucks: Folk Etymologies in English. From that link: * The textbook examples for English are sparrowgrass for ...
FOLK ETYMOLOGY definition in American English - Collins Dictionary
folk etymology in British English. noun. 1. the gradual change in the form of a word through the ...
Folk etymology
Folk etymology – also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one through popular usage.