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Neologism is a word that is new (15 to 20 years or less) but older and used more than a protologism.[1][2][3] Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event. Νεολεξία (Greek: a "new word", or the act of creating a new word) is a synonym for it. The term neologism was first used in English in 1772, borrowed from French néologisme (1734).[4]
Using an existing word or phrase in a new context is also called neologism.[5][6] The process of using a word in such a new context is sometimes called a semantic extension.[7][8] A new word that has not been used by anyone but the inventer is a protologism.[9][10][11]
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In psychiatry, the term neologism is used to describe the use of words that have meaning only to the person who uses them, independent of their common meaning.[12] This tendency is considered normal in children. In adults, it can be a symptom of psychopathy[13] or a thought disorder, such as a psychotic mental illness, for example schizophrenia.[14] People with autism may also create neologisms.[15] Additionally, use of neologisms may be related to aphasia acquired after brain damage resulting from a stroke or head injury.[16]
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In theology, a neologism is a relatively new doctrine (for example, Transcendentalism). In this sense, a neologist is one who proposes either a new doctrine or a new interpretation of source material such as religious texts.[17]
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