Paragram

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A witty play on an existing saying or name, created by adding, removing, or altering a single letter or sound to produce a humorous effect
2. A clever alteration of a word or phrase, typically involving a single letter's modification, that generates a humorous or insightful twist on the original
3. An inventive wordplay where minor changes to a phrase create a playful or amusing variant that retains a connection to the original meaning

Etymology: The Ancient Greek "parágramma" was a writing term built from "pará," meaning "beside" or "alongside," and "gramma," meaning "letter" or "writing." In its original sense it referred to a small change to a letter or a short passage, the sort of alteration a scribe or editor might make to a text. English borrowed the word through Late Latin "paragramma," so it arrived as a formal term from the study of texts rather than from everyday speech. Over time the sense narrowed from altering a written letter to something cleverer: a pun-like play in which one letter or sound is swapped to produce a new meaning. The word's grammatical ancestry is visible in its shape, since the Greek prefix "pará" and the root "gramma" both survive intact in English words such as "parallel" and "grammar."

Synonyms: pun, wordplay, play on words, double entendre, witticism

Antonyms: seriousness, literalness, straightforwardness, sincerity, gravity