The catachresis is a figure of speech that it represents a kind of metaphor in common usage that, over time, has been eroded and crystallized.
This is because when we use a certain word so much, we no longer notice the figurative meaning expressed in it. For example: chair foot is broken.
The example above makes us think about the denotative and connotative sense of words. In other words, the chair does not have a “foot”, which in the denoting sense is an extremity of the lower limb found in terrestrial animals.
Remember that the denotative sense is the one found in dictionaries, which represents the “real” concept of the word. In the example above, the foot of the chair is in the connotative (or figurative) sense of the word.
Therefore, catachresis is a special kind of metaphor which has already been incorporated by all speakers of the language.
But, as it is a widely used expression and, therefore, worn out, stereotyped, addicted and not very original, it is considered a catachresis.
In this sense, we use this figure of speech through the approximation or similarity of the form of such an object.
Thus, catachresis makes a comparison and uses a certain term because there is no other to designate something specific. In such a way, the word loses its original meaning.
Catachresis is in the category of word pictures, alongside metaphor, metonymy, comparison, antonomasia and synesthesia.
Remember that the speech figures are classified into 4 types:
- Thought Figures
- Syntax figures
- Word Picture
- Sound Figures
Examples of Catachresis
Catachresis is widely used in colloquial (informal) language and also in poetic texts and music. It can be considered slang, as it facilitates the communication process by using other words.
Below are some very common examples of catachresis:
- Genealogy
- oil wire
- Palate
- mouth of the tunnel
- bottle mouth
- tomato skin
- arm of the sofa
- chair arm
- river arm
- text body
- foot of the page
- bed foot
- mountain foot
- lemon foot
- table leg
- cheekbone
- Pineapple wreath
- cup handle
- plane wing
- saw teeth
- Garlic cloves
- garlic head
- nail head
- pin head
- Calf
Example of Catachresis in Literature
“Bending the elbow of the road, Fabiano felt a little distance from the places where he had lived for some years.” (Graciliano Ramos in Dried lives.)
The expression “elbow of the road” is a type of catachresis, used in poetic texts to offer greater expressiveness to the text.
Example of Catacresis in Music
“I used the face of the moon/The wings of the wind/The arms of the sea/The foot of the mountain” (MPB-4 in “strange composition”)
The expressions “the arms of the sea” and “the foot of the mountain” are examples of catachresis.
The expressions “face of the moon” and “wings of the wind” are examples of metaphors that occur through a relationship of similarity.
Curiosities about Catacresis
According to the etymological origin, the word catachresis comes from the Latin “catachresis” and from the Greek “katakhresis” and means “misuse”.
Originally, the term “boarding” was used to express entering a boat. But as much as it was used by speakers to enter other means of transport, we use it today without noticing its original meaning. Thus, the word “boarding” is a catachresis.
Likewise, the word “tile” was used to describe blue tiles. We currently use it to determine any tile color and therefore it is also a catachresis.
We still have the word “to fit” which in the original sense meant “to put in boxes”. The term was so used by speakers of the language that today it determines the placement of something in a place that fits perfectly.
He understands more about the concepts of:
- Connotation and Denotation
- Metaphor
- Metonymy
