English Explanatory Dictionary

mondegreen

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A form of (possibly intentional) error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase, possibly in a different language.
  2. A misunderstanding of a written or spoken phrase as a result of multiple definitions.

Pronunciation

mŏnd′əgrēn /ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/ /ˈmɑndəɡɹiːn/ en-us-mondegreen.ogg

Word forms

mondegreen mondegreens

Etymology

Coined by American journalist and editor Sylvia Wright in 1954 in Harper's Magazine from mishearing a line in the Scottish ballad The Bonnie Earl o' Moray: “They have slain the Earl o' Moray, / And laid him on the green”, the second line being misheard as, “And Lady Mondegreen”.

Synonyms

mishearing

Related words

daffynition folk etymology Hobson-Jobson soramimi
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