abusage

English

Etymology

Abusage first appeared in the 16th century as a general synonym of abuse, but it fell into disuse after just a couple of centuries. The word reemerged in the language with a new grammar-specific sense after Eric Partridge published a book on grammar titled Usage and Abusage in 1942.

Noun

abusage (plural abusages)

1. (obsolete) Abuse. [Attested from the mid 16^th century until the mid 17^th century.]^[1]
2. Improper or incorrect use of language. [First attested in the mid 20^th century.]^[1]

   A stickler for the rules of grammar, Mrs. Walker cringes when she encounters any abusage by the students in her freshman English class.

References

1. ↑ ^1.01.1 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 10: