solecize means to commit a solecism. It carries an Arena rating of 1395, earned across 56 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, solecize ranks #1,552 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,278 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #3,422 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,647 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
solecize is pronounced /ˈsɒlɪsaɪz/.
Why “solecize” is a great word
SOLECIZE — [Verb] To commit a solecism; to make an error in grammar or usage. From Ancient Greek σολοικίζω (soloikízō, 'to speak incorrectly'), from σόλοικος (sóloikos, 'speaking incorrectly, solecistic'). Unlike to 'err,' which cloaks any misstep in vague generality, or to 'flounder,' which suggests a clumsy, often physical struggle, to solecize is to commit a specific, civil crime against the architecture of language. It is the faint, dissonant click of a subject and verb failing to agree, the unintended double negative that collapses a logical premise, and the genteel misuse of 'whom' in a desperate bid for sophistication—a tiny, public proof that our shared dream of perfect speech is built on human fault lines.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek σολοικίζω (soloikízō).
verb
- To commit a solecism.e.g.“To phansie the Holy Writers to solœcize in their language, when we do not like the sense.” — 1660, H[enry] More, An Explanation of the Grand Mystery of Godliness; […], London: […] J[ames] Flesher, for W[illiam] Morden […], →OCLC:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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