catachresis background
BeDict Logo

catachresis

/ˌkæt.əˈkɹiː.sɪs/

Meanings
noun

词语误用，用词不当。

A misuse of a word; an application of a term to something which it does not properly denote.

Examples :

"Using "impact" as a verb to mean "affect" is often considered a catachresis by traditional grammarians, even though it's very common now. "
把 "impact" 当作动词，用来表示 "affect" 的意思，虽然现在很常见，但传统语法学家通常认为这是一种词语误用 (cí yǔ wù yòng)。
language linguistics grammar word
noun

词语误用，隐喻滥用。

A misapplication or overextension of figurative or analogical description; a wrongly-applied metaphor or trope.

Examples :

"Saying "I'm drowning in paperwork" is a catachresis because you aren't literally drowning, but rather overusing the metaphor of drowning to describe being overwhelmed. "
说“我淹没在文件中了”是一种词语误用，因为你不是真的在溺水，而是过度使用了“溺水”这个隐喻来描述被文件压得喘不过气的感觉。
language literature writing communication style grammar word linguistics

Related Words

Illustration something

something noun

/ˈsamθɪŋ/ /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

东西，事物

"My friend told me there was something in the box, but I didn't know what it was yet. "

我朋友告诉我盒子里有东西，但我还不知道那是什么。

Illustration figurative

figurative adjective

/ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/

比喻的，象征性的。

"The teacher used figurative language to explain the complex concept, saying that the student's mind was a blank slate. "

老师用了比喻的说法来解释这个复杂的概念，说学生的头脑就像一张白纸。

Illustration paperwork

paperwork noun

/ˈpeɪ.pɚ.wɚk/

文件工作，文书工作。

"Before the meeting, the teacher had a lot of paperwork to complete, including grading assignments and recording attendance. "

会议之前，老师有很多文书工作要做，包括批改作业和记录考勤。

Illustration considered

considered verb

/kənˈsɪdəd/ /kənˈsɪdɚd/

考虑， 细想

"Consider that we’ve had three major events and the year has hardly begun."

考虑到我们已经举办了三场大型活动，而今年才刚刚开始呢。

Illustration application

application noun

/aplɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/

应用, 施用

"The application of this cream should reduce the swelling."

这个药膏的施用应该能减轻肿胀。

Illustration overextension

overextension noun

/ˌoʊvərɪkˈstɛnʃən/ /ˌoʊvərɪkˈstɛnʃn̩/

过度扩张，过度延伸。

"The student's overextension of her schedule made it impossible to complete all her homework assignments to her usual high standard. "

那个学生把她的日程安排得过于紧密，导致她根本无法像往常一样高质量地完成所有的作业。（Nàge xuésheng bǎ tā de rìchéng ānpái dé guòyú jǐnmì, dǎozhì tā gēnběn wúfǎ xiàng wǎngcháng yīyàng gāo zhìliàng de wánchéng suǒyǒu de zuòyè.）

Illustration description

description noun

/dɪˈskɹɪpʃən/

描述，描写，叙述

"The teacher's description of the new math concept helped the students understand it better. "

老师对新数学概念的描述让学生们更容易理解了。

Illustration traditional

traditional noun

/tɹəˈdɪʃnəl/

老古板，思想保守的人。

"My grandmother is a traditional, believing strongly in family values. "

我的奶奶是个老古板，非常重视家庭价值观。

Illustration literally

literally adverb

/ˈlɪtəɹəli/ /ˈlɪ.ɾɚ.ə.li/

字面上，照字面意义，按字面意思。

"When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan."

当我在新闻上看到明天因为暴风雪停课时，我简直高兴得字面意义上地跳了起来，结果头撞到了吊扇。

Illustration overusing

overusing verb

/ˌoʊvərˈjuːzɪŋ/ /ˌoʊvərˈjuːzɪŋ/

过度使用，滥用。

"He is overusing his phone, and now his battery is dead. "

他过度使用手机，结果手机没电了。

Illustration overwhelmed

overwhelmed verb

/ˌəʊvəˈwɛlmd/ /ˌoʊvɚˈ(h)wɛlmd/

不知所措，压倒，淹没。

"The dinghy was overwhelmed by the great wave."

小艇被巨浪吞噬了。

Illustration grammarians

grammarians noun

/ɡɹəˈmɛːriənz/ /ɡɹəˈmæːriənz/

语法学家， 语法研究者

"Sentence: "The grammarians debated the correct use of the semicolon in the sentence." "

语法学家们就这句话中分号的正确用法展开了辩论。