Meanings
nounperverb (plural perverbs)
plural perverbs
- A statement humorously constructed by merging together two proverbs.
A perverb splices the first half of one proverb, or saying, with the second half of another.
2012, John R. Taylor, The Mental Corpus: How Language is Represented in the Mind, page 2721 more example
These perverbs are consistent with the cognitive view's emphasis on the theoretical import of idiosyncratic proverbs. When a perverb is used in public, and some are, the theoretical issues raised are as pressing as they are for any production P-task.
2013, Richard P. Honeck, A Proverb in Mind: The Cognitive Science of Proverbial Wit and Wisdom, page 186
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
perverb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perverb
MLA
“perverb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perverb. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perverb,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perverb.
Source: perverb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.