At this point, it is difficult to write that use of the word off as a “mistake.”

At this point, it is difficult to write that use of the word off as a “mistake.”Like it or not, the term alicorn is now commonly being used to refer to the creature itself, it is a well-formed Latin-derived compound word, and it is a canonical term of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic show.If we set out to create a Latin-derived compound word from ala (“wing”) and cornu (“horn”) on the pattern of unicorn (Latin unicornis), which is also Latin-derived, the word that we will get is alicorn (Latin *alicornis).  So, I think we have a very good case for the idea that we have two entirely different words here: alicorn (the winged unicorn) from ala and cornu, and alicorn (the theoretical substance of a unicorn’s horn) ultimately from Latin unicornis.  These two words would thus be homonyms.But if we are to agree that there is only one word here, that is, the “winged unicorn” use of alicorn is simply a change in the already-existing word’s meaning, then the ala-cornu etymology of that use of the word can be called a folk etymology.  Either way, to argue simply that the “winged unicorn” use of the word is a “mistake” is to overstate one’s case.Finally, the “Winged unicorn” entry at Wikipedia also refers to that use of alicorn as a “mistake."  But notice that it does not include the reasoning behind that use of the word (which amounts to a straw man), and it does not state that alicorn is used as such in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.My Little Pony: Pony TypesThe Winged Unicorn -- source link

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