Nucular

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A nonstandard pronunciation and spelling of the adjective nuclear, relating to atomic nuclei or nuclear energy and weapons
2. An informal, widely criticized form of the word nuclear, used in place of the standard term for atomic or nuclear matters
3. A mispronounced variant of nuclear that appears in casual speech and writing in reference to atomic power or weapons

Etymology: "Nucular" is a respelling of "nuclear" that results from metathesis (swapping sounds within a word) and epenthesis (inserting an extra sound), with the "-cu-" sequence reshaped by the way many speakers said the word. It is also commonly associated with "nuke", the clipped slang for a nuclear weapon, which likely reinforced the pronunciation. The spelling is a respelling in the sense that it records how the word was actually said rather than how it is written. Nothing in its form is a separate root: it is simply a nonstandard version of "nuclear", which is itself built from "nucleus" plus the adjective suffix "-ar". The word is widely recognised as a mispronunciation, and it is especially associated with public speech, where it attracted notice as a verbal slip. Standard dictionaries treat it as nonstandard, so writers use "nuclear" in formal contexts.