Metaplasm
/ˈmɛt.əˌplæz.əm/noun
A deliberate or accidental alteration of a word’s form, especially by adding, omitting, transposing, or substituting sounds or letters.
Did you know?In ancient rhetoric, metaplasm was a recognized way to “reshape” a word’s body, proving that scribes and speakers treated language like something you could ritualistically transform.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*met-
“to change, exchange, or move beyond”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μετά (metá)
“after, beyond, change of”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πλάσμα (plásma)
“something molded or formed”
Late Greek / Classical Rhetoric
Greek
μεταπλασμός (metaplasmós)
“a reshaping or alteration of a word’s form”
Late Latin
Latin
metaplasmus
“a rhetorical alteration of a word”
Middle English
English
metaplasme
“a change in the form of a word”
Modern English
English
metaplasm
“a change in the form of a word, especially in spelling or pronunciation”
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