More words that aren’t
Which sentences are correct?
- Use an asterik to indicate a footnote.
- I have a chaise lounge in my bedroom.
- Mexico has a large ex-patriot community.
- The recipe calls for a teaspoon of tumeric.
- I wanted to be a vetenarian when I was a kid.
- The restauranteur owned several establishments.
None of the sentences are correct.
Why not?
There is no such word as “asterik.” The correct term is “asterisk.” Certain letter combinations feel unnatural to English speakers, and “sk” is one of them. The solution? We subconsciously “fix” words that feature these letter combinations to make them sound better to our ears. This is also the reason so many of us say “aks” instead of “ask.”
There is no such word as “chaise lounge.” The correct term is “chaise longue” [SHAYZ LAWNG]. The French term chaise longue literally means “long chair.” But English speakers misinterpret it to mean “lounge chair” and “fix” the term accordingly, rearranging the letters to, in our minds, make more sense. The extended length of a chaise longue makes it perfect for lounging, of course. This is a classic example of an eggcorn—a word that replaces another due to mishearing or misinterpretation, but that makes sense in the context of the phrase.
There is no such word as “ex-patriot.” The correct term is “expatriate.” Similarly, the correct abbreviated spelling is “expat,” not “ex-pat.” This term describes a person living outside his native homeland. A logical misinterpretation is that such a person is a former patriot, or “ex-patriot,” who no longer loves or supports his native country. English speakers recognize “ex-” as a prefix to pair with a base noun, and “patriate” is not a stand-alone word. So “patriot” becomes the stand-in. This is another textbook eggcorn.
There is no such word as “tumeric.” The correct term is “turmeric.” Here is another example of “fixing” on our part. The two syllables ending in “r” (tur-mer-) seem awkward together, so we commonly drop the first “r” for a more familiar and smoother transition between them.
There is no such word as “vetenarian.” The correct term is “veterinarian.” Because it is a long and visually complex word, we have a tendency to shorten it when reconstructing it from memory, not recalling that there are two “ri-” syllables, and instead matching it to the pattern in “vegetarian.”
There is no such word as “restauranteur.” The correct term is “restaurateur.” The word without the “n” doesn’t look right to us, so we “fix” it by adding the “missing” letter. But “restaurateur” is not derived from “restaurant.” Instead, both terms come from the French verb restaurer, meaning “to restore.”
Here are the correct sentences:
- Use an asterisk to indicate a footnote.
- I have a chaise longue in my bedroom.
- Mexico has a large expatriate community.
- The recipe calls for a teaspoon of turmeric.
- I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid.
- The restaurateur owned several establishments.
Another reminder not to rely on spellcheck: three of the incorrect terms were not flagged as being misspelled. Which three terms do you think spellcheck missed?
