anthimeria · noun — the use of a word from one word class or part of speech as if it were from another, in English typically the use of a noun as if it were a verb. It carries an Arena rating of 1627, earned across 66 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, anthimeria ranks #856 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #4,220 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words, #5,055 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #5,701 of 17,201 for Funniest Words.
anthimeria is pronounced /ænθɪˈmɪəɹiə/.
Why “anthimeria” is a great word
ANTHIMERIA — [Noun] A rhetorical figure wherein a word is deliberately used in a grammatical role other than its own, most famously the verbing of a noun. From Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, "opposite, instead of") + μέρος (méros, "part"), via New Latin antimeria, with a non-etymological ⟨h⟩ inserted in English. Unlike "conversion," which neutrally describes a linguistic process, or "enallage," which broadly swaps one grammatical form for another, anthimeria is the willful and artful stylistic transgression. It is the poet who mornings, the executive who greenlights a project, or the child who adults for a day—a small, potent rebellion proving grammar is not a cage but a canvas.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin antimeria, from Latin anti- (from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ντῐ- (ăntĭ-, “opposite”)) + Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”) + Latin -ia, with non-etymological ⟨h⟩.
noun
- The use of a word from one word class or part of speech as if it were from another, in English typically the use of a noun as if it were a verb.e.g.“Not only is "I googled that hottie" great publicity for the company, but it's fresh and funny and an excellent example of how anthimeria gives English an invigorating slap upside the head.” — 2006 July 9, Ben Yagoda, “Language: The moving parts of speech”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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