lapsus digitorum
/ˈlæpsəs.dɪdʒɪˈtɔːɹəm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.18 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
5
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "We remember an instance of a little girl who had picked up the phrase “good-night” from the elder pupils, spelling each letter on her fingers, using it as they did, when bidding adieu to the teacher who conducted evening prayers; but she showed her misapprehension of its exact meaning, by saying “good-night” to her teacher after morning school. It was no mere lapsus digitorum, for having not yet been taught the names of the divisions of time, she had confounded the particular term “good-night,” with the general one “good-bye.”"
Etymology
Coined as an analogue of lapsus linguae for users of sign language from the Latin lāpsus (“a slipping or falling”) (lāpsūs in the plural) + digitōrum (“of fingers”), genitive plural form of digitus (“finger”) = “a slipping of fingers”; compare lapsus digiti.
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈlæpsəs.dɪdʒɪˈtɔːɹəm/