The strained or improper use of a word, especially when no proper word exists, or the use of a metaphor that is illogical or goes against normal usage.
From Greek katachresis 'misuse,' from kata- 'against' plus chresis 'use,' literally meaning 'use against.' Used in rhetoric and linguistics since ancient times.
Catachresis isn't always bad—the word 'leg' for the support of a table is technically a catachresis (tables don't have real legs), but we accept it because language constantly stretches to describe new things.
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