Where does “spoonerism” come from?
spoonerism (English) comes from English ism, from English -ism, from Latin -ismus, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, from Proto-Indo-European -mós — Creates action/result nouns from verb stems.
spoonerism (English): A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed
Definitions
- A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed
Ancestry of “spoonerism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |