Anthimeria
Pattern
Word class swap — noun as verb, verb as noun, etc.
Definition
Substitution of one part of speech for another, such as using a noun as a verb or a verb as a noun.
Examples
Example 1
The thunder would not peace at my bidding.
Shakespeare, King Lear
"Peace" (noun) is used as a verb — a bold conversion that animates the concept
Example 2
I'll friend you on social media.
"Friend" (noun) used as a verb — a modern anthimeria born from technology
Example 3
She adulted all day and then ate cereal for dinner.
"Adult" (noun/adjective) forced into service as a verb, capturing generational humor about maturity
AI Detection Note
Rare in AI text. LLMs strongly prefer standard part-of-speech usage. Creative word-class shifts ('he porched the afternoon', 'she decisioned quickly') conflict with AI's grammatical conservatism.
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