Where does “oxymoron” come from?
Oxymoron comes from Latin oxymorum, from Latin oxymorus, from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος meaning pointedly foolish, composed of Ancient Greek μωρός meaning foolish and Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ-.
oxymoron (English): A figure of speech in which two words or phrases...
Definitions
- A figure of speech in which two words or phrases...
Ancestry of “oxymoron”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | oxymōrum | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ὀξύμωρος | pointedly foolish; oxymoronic |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μωρός | slow, sluggish; slow, dull, foolish, stupid;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | muHrós | dull, stupid |
Words derived from “oxymoron”