Wordplays

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A creative use of language that involves puns or humorous expressions that exploit multiple meanings or similar-sounding words
2. A form of verbal wit that plays on words to create amusement or cleverness through double entendres or sound alike terms
3. An artistic technique in literature and speech that involves manipulating words to achieve a playful or humorous effect through ambiguity or word associations

Etymology: "Wordplays" is the plural of "wordplay," a noun formed by simply putting two English words side by side: "word" and "play." The compound describes the kind of activity the words suggest, playing with words, so the term is transparent in a way many older words are not. Its meaning has stayed close to that literal sense, covering puns, double meanings, and other amusing manipulations of language. Because the plural is formed from the noun "wordplay," the ending "-s" simply marks more than one instance of such play, as in "the book is full of wordplays." The base compound is a straightforward English coinage from familiar components, so its history offers little beyond the two parts themselves.

Synonyms: puns, witticisms