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Ghost word

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A fictitious or erroneous word, originally meaningless (not used in practice), that has been published in a dictionary or similarly authoritative reference work or otherwise listed as genuine, generally as the result of misinterpretation, misreading, or typographical error.

    "Here such cases as ghost words & misglosses, secondary semantics, different etymologies for one etymon or one etymology for different etyma, and finally semantic overpermissiveness are discussed."

  2. 2
    a word form that has entered the language through the perpetuation of an error wordnet

Etymology

Coined by Walter William Skeat in 1886; from ghost + word.

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