Although Scrabble resources list hundreds of “English words” beginning with the letter q, there are only about 80 (not counting inflections) that most people are likely to encounter in their reading. I’ll categorize them according to “Basic Vocabulary,” “General Vocabulary,” and “Advanced Vocabulary.” Note: In English orthography, q is usually followed by the letter u. … Read more
Shortened forms of words like rhinoceros (rhino), synchronization (sync), and limousine (limo), common in conversation and informal writing, are usually used in their entirety in formal contexts. These shortened words are called clippings. Sometimes a clipping drives out its longer original and becomes a standard word in its own right. Some standard English words that … Read more
English has several words that begin with the prefixes for- and fore- Sometimes the prefix means “before” or “in front of.” Sometimes it means “outside,” a meaning derived from an Old French element related to modern French hors, as in the French borrowing hors d’oeuvre, “outside the main course.” Perhaps the most frequently misspelled of … Read more
Both persecution and the similar word prosecution come from Latin verbs meaning “to follow.” Prosequor, which gives us prosecute and prosecution, can mean merely “to accompany,” but it can also mean “to attack.” The English word prosecution has a legal meaning: “the instituting and conducting of legal proceedings against a person or persons in respect … Read more
A universal preoccupation with food is apparent in the many idioms based on it. Here are just ten: 1. apples and oranges: two things that are inherently different or incompatible. For example, “To compare The Chronicles of Narnia to the Twilight series is to compare apples to oranges.” 2. bad apple: a negative or corrupting … Read more
A reader questions the acceptability of the word positivity: Is “positivity” a real word? I have found it on a couple of on-line dictionary sources, but it sounds so wrong and makes me cringe every time I hear it. I feel that people think that if negativity is a word, then the antonym must be positivity, and … Read more
Throughout history, cultures have attached great importance to names. In some cultures people, like cats, have secret names known only to themselves. Most parents I know spent hours, days, even months writing down possible names, doing the best to ensure that their final choice would go with their surname and that the child’s initials wouldn’t … Read more
I’ve been amusing myself lately by eavesdropping on people, listening for the use of the word get. I’ve concluded that get is as necessary to English speakers as the verb to be. The most common synonyms for the verb get are receive, obtain, and buy: I get the daily paper. (receive) Next month I will … Read more
Several Greek color words have enriched the English vocabulary. Black We get the combining form melano from the Greek word meaning dark or black. melancholy: a gloomy mental state; according to ancient physiology, a humor called “black bile” was secreted by the kidneys and the spleen, and was thought to cause melancholia. melanoma: a skin … Read more
Any uncertainty about the pronunciation of the adjective dogged and the adverb doggedly usually centers on whether to pronounce the -ed as a separate syllable, so I was surprised the other day to hear an announcer on a classical music station have trouble with the double g. The announcer, a young one, judging by his … Read more
In the words ignominy, ignoble, and words related to ignore, the prefix ig- means not. Words Related to Lack of Knowledge Ignorance and its related forms come from the Latin verb ignorare, “not to know.” ignore Initially the English verb ignore meant “to be ignorant of.” Like “J’ignore” in modern French, “I ignore” meant simply, … Read more
“To escape scot-free” means to elude merited consequences: [Construction] Site Deaths Soaring as Bosses Escape Scot Free No escape: independent directors won’t go scot free Now all the doctors at Mid Staffs escape scot-free over deaths. In the Middle Ages a scot was a tax or tribute paid by a feudal tenant to his lord. … Read more