Miscellaneous Entries.
schizophrenic; schizoid. Each of these words can function as both adjective (= characterized by schizophrenia) and noun (= a person with schizophrenia). But both words are most often adjectives, and “schizophrenic” is the more common term. If any difference exists, it’s that a “schizoid” (or “schizoid personality”) is someone who is seclusive, shut in, and unsociable, whereas a “schizophrenic” (or “schizophrenic personality”) has a serious psychological disorder involving greater dissociation between the intellect and the emotions. The words are pronounced /skit-suh-FREN-ik/ and /SKIT-soyd/.
scintilla (= a minute particle; a trace) forms the plural “scintillas.” The word is pronounced /sin-TIL-uh/, not /skin-/.
sculpt; sculpture, v.t.; *sculp. Although the preferred verb has long been thought to be “sculpture” {to sculpture a bust}, “sculpt” (a back-formation from “sculptor”) is now the predominant form and should be accepted as standard. *"Sculp" is a needless variant. For the agent noun, “sculptor” is preferred over *"sculpturer." Language-Change Index — “sculpt” as a verb: Stage 5.
seasonable; seasonal.“Seasonable” = (1) appropriate to the season; opportune {for us, an August trip to Aspen is quite seasonable: we don’t ski}; (2) timely {your letter was not seasonable}; or (3) (of weather) suitable to the time of year {seasonable April showers}. “Seasonal” = (1) of, relating to, or characterizing the seasons of the year, or any one of them {El Niños caused seasonal changes in weather}; or (2) dependent on the seasons, as certain trades {seasonal shipping patterns}.
*Invariably inferior forms.
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Quotation of the Day: “No language has so complex and varied a vocabulary as English. . . . All the great civilizations have contributed to our vocabulary. Indeed, the history of English words is the history of our civilization in all its aspects.” James Bradstreet Greenough & George Lyman Kittredge, Words and Their Ways in English Speech 128 (1901).
