Definition:
: a blundering use of a word that sounds somewhat like the one intended but is ludicrously wrong in the context
About the Word:
Richard Sheridan, the Irish dramatist, is responsible for the word malapropism, as it is based on the name of a character, Mrs. Malaprop, who appears in his 1775 play, The Rivals.
Mrs. Malaprop was given to making such statements as "He is the very pine-apple of politeness" (meaning pinnacle) and "promise to forget this fellow — to illiterate him, I say, from your memory" (meaning obliterate). By 1830 the word added the suffix -ism, and had begun to be used to refer to examples of humorously mistaken language, staying with us ever since.
Example:
"Foreigners will erupt in glee to some of the unfortunate malapropisms like the coffee creamer called 'Creap,' the pre-moistened towelettes called 'My Wet,' or the isotonic drink called 'Sweat.'" — Louis G. Peretz, The History of Japan, 1998
