solecism
noun
Solecism — a glaring violation of proper grammar, usage, or social convention
Definition
A socially awkward or tactless act
In depth
A solecism is a socially awkward or tactless act, but the word's more precise and traditional meaning, particularly in grammar and rhetoric, names a glaring grammatical error or violation of correct, expected usage. Its extension to broader social impropriety reflects a long-standing parallel between linguistic correctness and proper social conduct.
Origin
The word descends from Greek soloikismos, named after the city of Soloi, an ancient Athenian colony whose residents were reputed, fairly or not, to speak a corrupted, grammatically incorrect form of Greek. That origin in mocking a particular community's perceived linguistic failings reflects an old and uncomfortable tradition of treating regional or non-standard speech as inherently inferior.
Usage examples
"The professor marked the essay's solecisms in careful red ink, each one a small but telling lapse in formal grammar."
"His social solecism at the formal dinner, addressing the ambassador by the wrong title, was quietly corrected by an aide."
"Style guides exist largely to help writers avoid the kind of solecism that immediately marks prose as careless or unpolished."
How to use it
Solecism is formal, somewhat learned vocabulary, particularly precise in grammatical and rhetorical contexts describing usage errors, though it extends usefully into elevated prose about social impropriety more broadly, carrying more erudition than the more common 'faux pas' or 'gaffe.'
Related concepts
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