Definition of malapropism
1
: the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase
especially
: the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context
"Jesus healing those leopards" is an example of malapropism.
2
: malaprop
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for malapropism
The first known use of malapropism was in 1826
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