Definition of "catachresis" [cat•a•chre•sis]

• The misapplication of a word or phrase, as the use of blatant to mean "flagrant.” (noun)
• The use of a strained figure of speech, such as a mixed metaphor. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Poetic licence aside, catachresis is often just a mistake, as we have seen, e.g. flaunt for flout, ecliptic for eclectic."
• "Definitional inconsistencies notwithstanding, catachresis is a fascinating feature of language."
• "A species of metaphor, catachresis is a "strained," "abused," or "perverted" use of language that names what otherwise has no name (a table leg,"