English Explanatory Dictionary

ghoti

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A constructed word said to be an alternative spelling of fish.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Ghoti.
noun
  1. A type of small Bengali waterpot used for washing.
noun
  1. A Bengali who originates from western Bengal.

Pronunciation

fĭsh /fɪʃ/ /fəʃ/ en-uk-fish.ogg en-us-fish.ogg en-au-fish.ogg gō′tē /ˈɡəʊ̯.tiː/ /ˈɡoʊ̯.ti/ /ˈɡəʉ̯.tiː/ /ˈɡɐʉ̯.tiː/ /ˈɡo.ti/ /ˈɡoː.ʈiː/

Word forms

ghoti ghoties ghotis

Etymology

A jocular spelling of fish (/fɪʃ/) used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling: * gh, /f/ as in rough, /ɹʌf/; * o, /ɪ/ as in women, /ˈwɪm.ɪn/; and * ti, /ʃ/ as in nation, /ˈneɪ̯.ʃən/. Though frequently reported to be a coinage of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), this term dates back to at least 1855. Although the goal of the word is to highlight the irregularities of the English orthography, it deliberately exaggerates them, as is /f/ only word-finally and is /ʃ/ only before a vowel.

Synonyms

West Bengali
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