Definition
Anthimeria is the use of a member of one word class as if it were a member of another, thus altering its meaning.
Examples
(English)
In the following example, unhair is an example of anthimeria. Although hair is normally used as a noun, in this instance it takes an -un prefix and is used as a verb:
- “I’ll unhair thy head."(Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, II, v, 64, cited by Corbett 1971 484 )
Sources 1
- Corbett 1971, 484