When I use a word . . . Medical eggcorns

Abstract

There are many different types of verbal errors that people make from time to time. They include folk etymology, mondegreens, and malapropisms. Eggcorns are verbal errors in which a word is replaced by another that sounds like it and typically shares with it some semantic connotation. Old-timer’s disease for Alzheimer’s is a good example. In this week’s column I list and discuss some medical examples of eggcorns.