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Neologism

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A newly invented word, phrase, or usage introduced by a poet to express a novel idea, sensation, or nuance not covered by existing vocabulary.

Detailed Definition
A neologism is a newly coined word or expression, often invented by poets to capture novel ideas, sensations, or emotional states not adequately conveyed by existing vocabulary; Shakespeare famously employed neologisms like “eyeball” and “bedazzled,” enriching English poetic diction through linguistic innovation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Neologism: Shakespeare coined “bedazzled” in “The Taming of the Shrew”; Emily Dickinson invented “zero at the bone” to describe existential dread; e.e. cummings created “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful” in “in Just-”; Sylvia Plath’s “The Applicant” uses “flayed” as verb in new context; contemporary poet Joyelle McSweeney coins “necropastoral” to describe toxic landscapes; neologisms expand poetic diction to capture previously unnamed experiences.
Additional Notes
Neologism: A newly coined word or phrase; used in poetry for freshness, shock, or to name the unnameable; common in modernist (Joyce, Cummings) and experimental work.
Also Known As
Coined word New term Invented vocabulary Fresh coinage Coinage
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