cacozelia

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noun

A stylistic affectation of diction, such as throwing in foreign words to appear learned.

OriginLatin cacozēlia ← Ancient Greek κᾰκοζηλία →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

nouncacozelia (uncountable)
  1. rhetoricuncountableA stylistic affectation of diction, such as throwing in foreign words to appear learned.
  2. rhetoricuncountableBad taste in words or selection of metaphor, either to make the facts appear worse or to disgust the auditors.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκᾰκοζηλία“unhappy imitation, affectation”
  2. Latincacozēlia“a bad, faulty, awkward imitation”
  3. Englishcacozelia

From Latin cacozēlia (“a bad, faulty, awkward imitation”), from Ancient Greek κᾰκοζηλία (kăkozēlía, “unhappy imitation, affectation”).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

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Cite this entry
APA

cacozelia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cacozelia

MLA

“cacozelia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cacozelia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cacozelia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cacozelia.

Source: cacozelia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.