amphiboly
NounSynonyms:
amphibology
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)amphibolies
- an ambiguous grammatical construction; e.g., ‘they are flying planes’ can mean either that someone is flying planes or that something is flying planesSynonyms: amphibologyType of ambiguity
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Am·phib′o·ly (…), noun; pl. Amphibolies (…).
Origin: L. amphibolia, Gr. …: cf. OE. amphibolie. See Amphibolous.
Ambiguous discourse; amphibology.
If it oracle contrary to our interest or humor, we will create an amphiboly, a double meaning where there is none.— Richard Whitlock
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54