Flippance

/ˈflɪpəns/ noun

Definition

This appears to be a non-standard form; the correct noun is 'flippancy,' meaning glib or disrespectful behavior.

Etymology

A malformed or archaic variant of 'flippancy.' The correct term derives from 'flippant' (glib, disrespectful) plus the suffix '-cy.'

Kelly Says

English speakers sometimes create 'back-formations' from words—seeing 'flippancy' and thinking it comes from 'flippance' is a common error that shows how our brains fill in linguistic patterns.

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