Miscellaneous Entries.
tenderfoot (= a newcomer or beginner) forms the plural “tenderfoots,” as the majority of dictionaries recommend.
tendinitis; *tendonitis. “Tendinitis” = inflammation of a tendon. *"Tendonitis" is incorrectly arrived at by association with the spelling of the noun “tendon.”
Tennessean; *Tennesseean. The first is standard; the second is a variant spelling. Although the final “-e” is dropped in this word, it’s retained in the similar term “Tallahasseean.”
tepee (= a conical tent made by American Indians of the Plains and Great Lakes regions) is the standard spelling. *"Teepee" and *"tipi" are variants.
tercentenary; *tercentennial; *tricentenary; *tricentennial. The first is the usual spelling for both the noun meaning “a period of 300 years” and the adjective meaning “of or relating to a 300-year period.” The other three are variant forms. “Tercentenary” is pronounced /tuhr-suhn-TEN-uh-ree/ or /tuhr-SEN-tuh-ner-ee/.
*Invariably inferior form.
For information about the Language-Change Index click here.
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Quotation of the Day: “That English pronunciation . . . is ever to be brought into complete conformity with English spelling is inconceivable.” G.H. McKnight, Modern English in the Making 567 (1928).
