| Definitions | | eggcorn |
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noun
- (linguistics) An idiosyncratic but semantically motivated substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound identical, or nearly so, at least in the dialect the speaker uses.
- deep-seeded instead of deep-seated
- deformation of character instead of defamation of character
- for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes
- free reign instead of free rein
Etymology: The subject of eggcorns was first introduced on the Internet on September 23, 2003 by Mark Liberman on the website Language Log. He discussed the case of a woman who substitutes the phrase egg corn for the word acorn. Later on, the word egg corn or eggcorn (which in itself is an eggcorn) was suggested by Geoffrey K. Pullum to name such linguistic peculiarities.
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