Epenthesis (e-pen’-thes-is): The addition of a letter, sound, or syllable to the middle of a word. A kind of metaplasm. Note: Epenthesis is sometimes employed in order to accommodate meter in verse; sometimes, to facilitate easier articulation of a word’s sound. It can, of course, be accidental, and a vice of speech.
The NF–UH OH–L! What’s next? Drowning kittens? Cannibalism? Drive-by mooning? Satan worship? Communist quarterbacks?
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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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