A series of words that result from the mishearing or misinterpretationof a statement or song. A mondegreen is similar to a malapropism. However, it is caused by hearing something incorrectly, rather than misstating something. It is sometimes spelled mondagreen.
The term, mondegreen, is, itself, a mondegreen and comes from a seventeenth century ballad, "The Bonnie Earl of Murray," which contains the following line: "They hae slain the Earl of Murray and laid him on the green." When uttered, the last five words of this line can be perceived to form "Lady Mondegreen." The term was first used by writer, Sylvia Wright, in an article in The Atlantic in 1954.
Here are a few examples of mondegreens:
