amphiboly

am·phib·o·ly

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [am-fib-uh-lee]
- /æmˈfɪb ə li/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [am-fib-uh-lee]
- /æmˈfɪb ə li/

Definitions of amphiboly word

noun plural amphiboly ambiguity of speech, especially from uncertainty of the grammatical construction rather than of the meaning of the words, as in The Duke yet lives that Henry shall depose. 1
noun amphiboly Another term foramphibology. 1
noun amphiboly (grammar) An ambiguous grammatical construction. 0

See all 3 definitions of amphiboly

Information block about the term

Origin of amphiboly

First appearance:

before 1580

One of the 35% oldest English words

1580-90; < Latin amphibolia < Greek. See amphibolous, -y3

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Amphiboly

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Amphiboly

amphiboly popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 61% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 57% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

amphiboly usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer