Everybody makes mistakes

“Decimate” doesn’t mean what you think: Words often used incorrectly

Surely, we’ve all made grammatical mistakes that still haunt us. But that doesn’t mean our eyes are safe from twitching when we hear words like "irregardless." A dozen popular mistakes have spread and infiltrated the vocabulary of many, much to the dismay of word lovers. Let’s explore some of these and hope we aren’t among the ones committing them!

Careful: If you say you are nauseous, that means you are causing someone else nausea. You probably don’t mean that you stink, but that you are feeling sick yourself.

When stepping off a rollercoaster, you don’t feel nauseous: You might feel nauseated, which is the correct term.

When did people start using "infamous" interchangeably with "famous"? It’s hard to know, but this mistake is heard often. Remember, "infamous" and "notorious" are adjectives that imply the subject has a bad reputation.

Maybe the confusion comes from "famous" being right there in the word, but keep in mind: infamous isn’t the kind of fame you want.

If you’re bemused, you’re scratching your head, not laughing. "Bemused" gets thrown around as a fancier way to say "amused," but it actually means "confused" or "bewildered." One often isn’t bemused by a funny meme, but a complex set of instructions could leave you bemused.

People often use "decimate" to mean "destroy entirely," but its original meaning is "reduce by one-tenth." It derives from a Roman practice of punishing armies.

For example, you could announce that a crop was decimated by pests but that some survived. The confusion is likely because "one-tenth" doesn’t sound dramatic enough. Ironically, modern misuse has decimated the word’s original meaning.

"Peruse" is one of those words that has come to mean two nearly opposite things. Traditionally, and still in careful or formal writing, it means to read thoroughly and carefully. You could peruse a contract document before signing it, for example. However, over time, "peruse" has also picked up the opposite sense: to skim or browse casually.

In academic, legal, or professional writing, it's safest to reserve "peruse" for careful, close reading, and avoid using it as a stand-in for "skim" or "glance through."

"Irregardless" gets thrown around, but mostly as the less-preferred form of the word "regardless." Adding "ir-" to it makes it a nonstandard double negative. The word "regard-less" already means "without regard."

Why do people use the wrong form, then? Maybe inventing a prefix feels extra emphatic, but really, it’s like putting a hat on a hat.

"Supposably" is often (and incorrectly) used instead of "supposedly." While the former does exist, it means "as could be imagined or believed". "Supposedly" means "according to what is assumed or believed".

So, which adverb should be used? It depends on whether the reality described is supposed to be true (supposedly) or possible to be true (supposably).

Irony isn’t just a coincidence or bad luck; it’s when there’s a contradiction between expectation and reality. It would be ironic, for example, that a fire station should burn down.

If you simply ran into someone you know, however, that would not be ironic. It would simply be a funny coincidence.

"Literally" means something is true exactly as is stated. It is often misused for exaggerations to add emphasis.

People have grown used to inserting that word into any hyperbolic sentence, such as "I’m literally dying of laughter". The word does have its correct place in some phrases, though. For example, you could literally trip over your own shoelaces.

You cannot feel jealous of someone who enjoys something that you’ve never had. That’s because, strictly speaking, "jealousy" involves the fear of losing something.

"Envy" would be the correct term for referring to the desire to have what someone else does. For example, envying a gold medal when you only achieved the silver one.

Sometimes students claim to be failing a class because they are "disinterested" in the subject, which is an incorrect statement. "Disinterested" means "impartial", or "unbiased". What they mean is that they are not interested, or "uninterested".

"Effect" is usually a noun, but it can also work as a verb, where it means "to bring about" or "to cause to happen." For example: "The new manager was able to effect real change in the department" means she caused that change to happen, not that she merely influenced or affected something that already existed. This is different from "affect," which as a verb means "to have an impact on" something.

The space between the words (or lack thereof) does affect the meaning! "Everyday" is an adjective meaning ordinary, while "every day" means "each day." Ask yourself carefully which of the two you are using.

Remember, every day we can find everyday words used incorrectly!

AN OCEAN AWAY

American vs. British English: 10 Dramatic Vocabulary Differences!

Image: freestocks

While many things bring us closer to the UK, some aspects of our language are key elements that set us apart. English is spoken by more than 1.4 billion people worldwide; with so many people using this language, it is understandable that some differences have developed. It is those little details that give each place its unique style!

To honor that, we have compiled some objects called very differently in America and the UK. Come with us as we walk through these 10 drastic vocabulary differences between American English and British English!

Image: Thought Catalog

Everybody knows that every sentence must end with a period, right? Well, actually, in the UK, they end with a "full stop."

While both terms refer to the same punctuation mark, they carry very different names in each country.

The British term arose around the 14th century and has its origin in the Latin phrase punctus plenus ("full point"). The American word comes from the Latin periodus, which was used to refer to a complete series of events or a complete and finished sentence.

Image: Swansway Motor Group

How would you react if a friend from the neighborhood asked you to put the market bags in the "boot"? That's what they call the car trunkin the UK!

The term "boot" to refer to that part of the vehicle is a bit older in history. Many sources claim that this term has been around since the days of coachmen, who used to keep their boots in the back of carriages or cars.

The American "trunk," on the other hand, is believed to come from when vehicles had actual trunks attached to them, where luggage and other large packs were stored.

Image: Joshua Hoehne

If you hear the word "football," you probably think of quarterbacks and touchdowns. However, to a Brit, this would be different.

"Football" in the UK refers to what we know as "soccer." Why do we use such different words for the same sport? Because, as you know, we Americans reserve the term "football" for our beloved gridiron.

Surprisingly, "soccer" originated in England! Emerging in the 19th century, it was a short form for "association football," which was a way of calling soccer to distinguish it from other forms of football played in those days.

Image: Arvin Dale

It seems that cars are a big point of divergence between American and British English, not only in terms of parts but also in vehicle types.

What we know as a "station wagon" is called an "estate car" in the UK; quite different, right? The UK uses this term because that type of vehicle was mainly used in country estates to transport large amounts of goods to and from those locations.

Meanwhile, the American "station wagon" originated from early wagons that transported people and luggage between hotels and train stations.

Image: Jorge Barros

If a toddler asked you for the "dummy," would you know what he or she meant? That child is probably British, as "dummy" is the term used for pacifiers in the UK.

The word "dummy" has been used to refer to an imitation or substitute. In the UK, from the 20th century onwards, babies' dummies were so named for serving as a substitute for the mother's breast or bottle.

The term "pacifier" (or "passy" for the cool babies) is pretty self-explanatory, right? It refers to the object's main purpose: to calm our beloved little ones.

Image: Hermes Rivera

With so many garments and styles, fashion has vocabulary differences as well. What is called a "vest" in America is known in the UK as a "gilet."

While Americans call any sleeveless garment a "vest," the British use "gilet" only for casual wear.

Do you know where these terms come from? You got it: they both come from France, one of the birthplaces of world fashion.

The French gilet entered English around the 19th century and was related to the utility of the garment. "Vest," on the other hand, comes from the French veste, which referred to a long, sleeveless garment worn under armor.

Image: Tim Mossholder

Here we are with the cars again. We've already checked the trunk. Now, let’s move to the front of the car to inspect the hood.

That cover that we lift to check -or just admire- the engine is called a "hood" in America. But, as is often the case, things are different in the UK, where this part of the car is referred to as a "bonnet."

Both terms come from the early days of automobiles. The old carriages had a protective cover over the driver's seat known as a "hood" or "bonnet." Between the 19th and 20th centuries, these terms were simply transposed to the engine cover of early cars.

Image: National Cancer Institute

You know where to go if you need medicine or health care products: the drugstore. But if you're in the UK, you might have a little more trouble finding this place. Not because it's hidden but because it has another name there: "chemist."

"Chemist" comes from the Latin chimista, a person who experimented with chemical substances. From the 18th century on, "chemist" was applied in England to early pharmacy practitioners.

The American term "drugstore" is more explicit. Originally, this type of store only sold meds, expanding its product offering over time.

Image: Deon Black

Eggplant is one of those vegetables with as many lovers as haters; which group are you in?

But today, we're not discussing the qualities of this vegetable but its name. What we know here as "eggplant" is called "aubergine" in the UK.

The British word has French, Catalan, and Arabic origins and began to be used in English around the 18th century. The American word also appeared in the 18th century, and it is believed to have arisen due to the resemblance between the vegetable's shape and that of chicken eggs.

Image: Markus Spiske

Remember those days as a kid when your mom would push you around in the shopping cart? Well, if you had been to the UK, she would have placed you in the "trolley" instead.

The British "trolley" comes from the name of a type of cart used to transport goods on trails. In the 20th century, with the rise of supermarkets, it began to refer to shopping carts or baskets.

The American term originated in the 20th century with the invention of the cart specifically designed for shopping.