Origins of the word oxymoron
Channel: Words
Date: 02/08/2018

The root words of Oxymoron are oxus, meaning sharp, and moron, meaning ... moron. The word has supposedly been in use since the 17th century, although it looks like it only really took off in the 20th century.

It means the combination of two contradictory terms, used deliberately, in a playful sort of way, like deafening silence or terribly good. 

Contradictory terms used accidentally are sometimes called an oxymoron too, but purists will say they shouldn’t be.

It’s interesting because oxymoron has kind of an academic sound to it, and it describes a literary technique, but it has the word ‘moron’ in it, which you’d think of as contemporary slang.

Well, if you’re wondering whether moron means idiot in this context, it does. And it’s not that contemporary - it’s from the Ancient Greek mōros meaning idiot.

Oxy is the same oxy as oxygen, from the Ancient Greek oxus meaning sharp. Oxygen got its name because at the time, they mistakenly thought all acids contain oxygen, and acids taste sharp, hence oxygen.

Anyway, you can see that oxymoron literally means sharp-idiot, so the word itself is an oxymoron.

Words is an etymology project.