metanalyses
/ˌmɛtəˈnæləˌsiz/
noun
- The plural of metanalysis; processes in which a word or phrase is reinterpreted based on a mistaken or new analysis of its parts (e.g., 'a napron' becoming 'an apron').
- The textbook explained how metanalyses can create new words through rebracketing.
- Several common English words are the result of metanalyses of earlier phrases.
- Linguists study historical metanalyses to understand how words change over time.