Words people only use one form of...

[HarryKeogh]

like disGUST or RUTHless. No one ever uses "gust" or "ruth" in a sentence. They're words but if you use them in a sentence you get some funny looks.

anybody got any others?

[El Greco]

Ject

[Brown]

Chalant.

[wayrad]

Kempt, unless you are Ogden Nash.

[Brown]

Fease.

We have feasible, nonfeasance, malfeasance, etc., but no one ever uses "fease."

[wayrad]

Couth.

[Marquis de Carabas]

Whelm.

(and I use couth, btw, but only because I like the funny looks)

[Brown]

If an "antidote" is a remedy for a poison, why isn't "dote" a synonym for poison?

[El Greco]

Originally posted by Brown
If an "antidote" is a remedy for a poison, why isn't "dote" a synonym for poison?

I've been thinking of using lots of medical terms of Greek origin to make a huge list of such unused words, but it wouldn't be fair :D

Anyway, "dote" is of the same root as "dose"... in Greek it means that you got a dose of something and now you get the "anti-dose", so there is a connection...

[Psi Baba]

ravel

[wayrad]

Originally posted by Psi Baba
ravel I've heard that used to refer to knitting that has come undone. As in "Sleep, that knits the ravel'd sleeve of care" (I probably don't have it quite right).

[wayrad]

Gruntled.

[Nyarlathotep]

pant, as in the singular of pants. Everyone I know has pairs of pants, I have yet to see a single pant.

[Marquis de Carabas]

creant

[Brown]

"Parage," the opposite of "disparage."

I had assumed that "parage" might be related to "paragon," but my dictionary says no.

[a_unique_person]

This is the king of these words. I love it.



How I met my wife
by Jack Winter
Published 25 July 1994 - The New Yorker


It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.

I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.

I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I'd have to make bones about it since I was travelling cognito. Beknownst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn't be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do.

Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion.

So I decided not to risk it. But then, all at once, for some apparent reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make heads and tails of.

I was plussed. It was concerting to see that she was communicado, and it nerved me that she was interested in a pareil like me, sight seen. Normally, I had a domitable spirit, but, being corrigible, I felt capacitated -- as if this were something I was great shakes at -- and forgot that I had succeeded in situations like this only a told number of times. So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings.

Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had no time to prepare a promptu speech, I was petuous. Wanting to make only called-for remarks, I started talking about the hors d'oeuvres, trying to abuse her of the notion that I was sipid, and perhaps even bunk a few myths about myself.

She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savory character who was up to some good. She told me who she was. "What a perfect nomer," I said, advertently. The conversation become more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.

[HarryKeogh]

Originally posted by a_unique_person
This is the king of these words. I love it.

a_u_p...perfect! had to e-mail that to my brother who got me thinking about this topic.

[S. D. Youngren]

Love it! But it left out "feck."

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by S. D. Youngren
Love it! But it left out "feck."

This word will be added to the list of banned words at JREF.

[epepke]

Originally posted by HarryKeogh
like disGUST or RUTHless. No one ever uses "gust" or "ruth" in a sentence. They're words but if you use them in a sentence you get some funny looks.

anybody got any others?

Gormless. Feckless. Nonplussed. Denatured.

[TwoShanks]

Evitable is not commonly used.

[Marquis de Carabas]

Congruous is pretty rare, as well.

[S. D. Youngren]

What about forms which ought to be proper words meaning the opposite of the orignial word, but which aren't and don't, as "irregardless" and "inflammable?"

[HarryKeogh]

Originally posted by S. D. Youngren
What about forms which ought to be proper words meaning the opposite of the orignial word, but which aren't and don't, as "irregardless" and "inflammable?"

The "in" in "inflammable" isn't a negative prefix, it's just a part of the word. (latin verb "inflammare", to catch fire).

[Soapy Sam]

"pel", to bring together or descatter.

[Marquis de Carabas]

What about forms which ought to be proper words meaning the opposite of the orignial word, but which aren't and don't, as "irregardless" and "inflammable?"
"Irregardless" would amount to "without a lack of regard." I can think of few instances in which this word would be useful. Those who use it mean simply "without regard" and therefore are just using a word that does not mean what they think it does.

Flammable is the bastard child of inflammable, born only to save the lives of children and illiterates (if I may paraphrase Strunk).

[Lord Muck oGentry]

Dictory = consistent
Fant = old enough to talk

[Jeff Corey]

I would like to courage you people to continue this.

[S. D. Youngren]

You may courage us if you like, but a regular person would say "encourage" for the opposite of "discourage."

I wasn't talking about actual etymology; just about usual forms for negation: If INedible means something INappropriate to eat, INflammable "ought" to mean something that is not flammable. Something that does not readily...uh...inflame.

(Credit--or blame--for the first part of the "inflammability" thing to my husband.)

[epepke]

Originally posted by Nyarlathotep
pant, as in the singular of pants. Everyone I know has pairs of pants, I have yet to see a single pant.

This is technological. There used to be two pants attached to a codpiece.

[Tacita]

Yes, and you can refer to one pant leg or the other.

[Brown]

I'm an "ogynist": I love women.