irony

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A situation that is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what you expect.

   The irony is that the fire station itself burned down.

2. 2
   noun

   The use of words to mean the opposite of what they say, often in a humorous or mocking way.

   "Lovely weather," she said with heavy irony as the rain poured down.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Irony probably entered English through medieval French yronie, from Latin ironia, meaning a form of wit involving pretended ignorance or saying the opposite of what one means. Latin had borrowed the word from Greek eirōneia, “dissimulation,” formed from eirōn, “dissembler.”

Etymology tree Ancient Greek εἴρων (eírōn) Ancient Greek εἰρωνεύομαι (eirōneúomai) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek εἰρωνείᾱ (eirōneíā)der. Latin īrōnīader. Old French Middle French ironieder. English irony First attested in 1502. From Middle French ironie, from Old French, from Latin īrōnīa, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία (eirōneía, “irony, pretext”), from εἴρων (eírōn, “one who feigns ignorance”).

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External links

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