WORD OF THE WEEK: Oxymoron

Summary: What did you just call me? Oh, wait, that's oxymoron--not a put-down (at least not directly), but a word to describe ... well, read on and find out for yourself.

In Friday's post, I gave you a sneak peek of this week's word: oxymoron. In fact, I used it in a sentence and even conjugated it. (Don't recall? Click the link!)

Today, I give you the breakdown of the definition, pronunciation and etymology, as well as the type of word it is (an adjective). If you're reading Beyond Talk for the first time, it may interest you to know that this is standard operating procedure here on Mondays--even on holidays! There's nothing contradictory about that.

Oxymoron (AHKS - ee - MOR - ahn) - (adj.) Entering English in the 1650s from the Greek words oxys, meaning sharp or keen, and moros, or foolish, the word itself fits its own definition. An oxymoron is a combination of words that completely contradict each other--"tough love"--or a concept that's made up of incongruous elements, like "kill them with kindness."

For even more examples, visit Fun-with-Words.com.

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