Pronunciation: ak-ir-o-lo'-gi-a
Alternate Spelling: Also sp. acirilogia
An incorrect use of words, especially the use of words that sound alike but are far in meaning from the speaker's intentions.
Note: Malapropisms are a kind of acyrologia.
"I'm going to get tutored!" (One dog brags to another in a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon) The comedy of this cartoon results from acyrologia: the dog has mistaken "neutered" for the less painful "tutored," a mistake that changes the meaning entirely of what was intended. "Oh, so your Health/PE class is bisexual." "Co-ed" was meant for "bisexual." The misuse of this word changes the meaning significantly.