paraphasia

British

/ ˌpærəˈfeɪzɪə /

noun

a defect of speech in which the normal flow of words is interrupted by inappropriate words and phrases

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of paraphasia

C20: from Greek _para- ¹ + -phasia , from phanai to speak

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He uses lots of phonemic paraphasia, where a person starts a word and then can't finish it so they say something that sounds similar such as "misses" instead of "missiles."

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2024

The incidence of these kinds of mistakes takes him into this realm of phonemic paraphasia, which is a sign of underlying brain damage, not just aging.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2024

These are examples of what we call phonemic paraphasia which is associated with underlying brain damage.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2024

Semantic paraphasia is a qualitative marker - not of aging -but of underlying disease.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2024

Both paraphasia and paragraphia may be produced by partial lesions of the sensory speech centres or of the commissures which connect these with the motor centres.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023