Lapsonym

What is a lapsonym?

A word whose meaning you always forget

Is there a word you can never remember the meaning of, no matter how hard you try? If so, that word is your lapsonym. This slang term combines the word "lapse" with the Greek root word "onym," which means name. It follows in the footsteps of the words synonym and antonym, which are used to describe words with similar or opposite meanings.

Where did lapsonym come from?

In March 2015, Twitter user Kathryn Schulz coined the word lapsonym and stated that lapsonym's definition is "a word whose meaning you forget no matter how many times you look it up." Schulz went on to say that her own lapsonym is nugatory (which means "of no value or importance"). Other Twitter users responded by sharing their lapsonyms, which included sybaritic, hermeneutics, and pulchritude (all of which are words that most people should be forgiven for forgetting the definitions of).

Example

My personal lapsonym is voluble, BTW
The tweet in which Kathryn Schulz coined lapsonym
The tweet in which Kathryn Schulz coined lapsonym

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Updated April 1, 2021

Lapsonym definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the slang term "Lapsonym" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

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