nonsense word en · NOUN
Etymology
From nonsense + word.
Meanings
-
A neologised word that does not have a given meaning, or that has been invented without any etymological sense.
George Bernard Shaw's classic joke about English spelling is that his nonsense word ghoti should be pronounced fish. He explained: gh = like the gh in cough = fo = like the o in women = i ti = like the ti in nation = sh ghoti = fish.
1983, Michael E. Adelstein, Wendell Keats Sparrow, Business communications:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| nonsense words | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
non-word · pseudoword · protologism · neologism · nonce word
Translations (2)
ru бессмысленное слово (type of word) · fi pseudosana (type of word)