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.
I’m a snappy finger pop-a-ping man. Any ideas what that means? In any case, you better watch out or you’ll come under my spell.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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