abusage

Meaning

Noun

• Abuse.
• Improper or incorrect use of language.

Origin

• abuse + -age.
• First appeared in Middle English, c. 1450–1475, meaning “sexual misconduct” (cf. abuse), later in the 16th century as a general synonym of abuse, but fell into disuse after just a couple of centuries. The word re-emerged with a new grammar-specific sense after Eric Partridge published a book on grammar titled Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English (a pun on "use and abuse") in 1942.