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Literal usage confers meaning to words, in the sense of the meaning words have by themselves, [4] for example as defined in a dictionary. It maintains a consistent meaning regardless of the context, [5] with the intended meaning of a phrase corresponding exactly to the meaning of its individual words. [6]
Bisect means "to cut into two"; dissect means "to cut apart", both literally and figuratively. Disect is an archaic word meaning "to separate by cutting", but has not been in common use since the 17th century. Standard: The Americas are bisected by the Panama canal. Standard: She dissected Smith's dissertation, pointing out scores of errors.
The first known use of the word literally was in the 15th century, [2] or the 1530s. [3] [2] The use of the word as an intensifier emerged later, at the latest by 1769, [4] [5] when Frances Brooke wrote the following sentence: [4] He is a fortunate man to be introduced to such a party of fine women at his arrival; it is literally to feed among ...
Definitional retreat – changing the meaning of a word when an objection is raised. [23] Often paired with moving the goalposts (see below), as when an argument is challenged using a common definition of a term in the argument, and the arguer presents a different definition of the term and thereby demands different evidence to debunk the argument.
The word "inflammable" can be derived by two different constructions, both following standard rules of English grammar: appending the suffix -able to the word inflame creates a word meaning "able to be inflamed", while adding the prefix in-to the word flammable creates a word meaning "not flammable".
Kenning: using a compound word neologism to form a metonym. Litotes: emphasizing the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite. Malapropism: using a word through confusion with a word that sounds similar. Meiosis: use of understatement, usually to diminish the importance of something.
Malapropisms differ from other kinds of speaking or writing mistakes, such as eggcorns or spoonerisms, as well as the accidental or deliberate production of newly made-up words . [ 9 ] For example, it is not a malapropism to use obtuse [wide or dull] instead of acute [narrow or sharp]; it is a malapropism to use obtuse [stupid or slow-witted ...
In written language, removing words that are not strictly necessary sometimes makes writing seem stilted or awkward, especially if the words are cut from an idiomatic expression. On the other hand, as is the case with any literary or rhetorical effect, excessive use of pleonasm weakens writing and speech; words distract from the content.
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