# "Digital" and "nuclear" are not nouns.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 22, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672 "2006-09-22T04:48:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/1 "2006-09-22T04:48:11Z")
I haven’t time to belabor it but there you go. As a runner-up “install” is not a noun; “installation” is the word the car-stereo geeks are looking for. Any others?
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### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/2 "2006-09-22T04:54:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Why is it necessary to designate one single person as THE GUY TO BLAME[sup]TM[/sup]
Also that. Don’t make Random Short Phrases[sup]TM[/sup] into trademarks to try to emphasize a point.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/3 "2006-09-22T05:21:28Z")
> [@riker1384](#):
>
> I haven’t time to belabor it but there you go.
You should’ve waited until you had time.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/4 "2006-09-22T05:22:19Z")
Please provide examples of “digital” and “nuclear” being used as nouns. I’m having trouble trying to imagine how a sentence, even a stereotypically buzzword-laden caricature of a sentence, might be constructed with these forms.
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### Author:  [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/5 "2006-09-22T05:27:17Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Please provide examples of “digital” and “nuclear” being used as nouns. I’m having trouble trying to imagine how a sentence, even a stereotypically buzzword-laden caricature of a sentence, might be constructed with these forms.
Digital is a computer company.
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### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/6 "2006-09-22T05:40:43Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Please provide examples of “digital” and “nuclear” being used as nouns. I’m having trouble trying to imagine how a sentence, even a stereotypically buzzword-laden caricature of a sentence, might be constructed with these forms.
Is that a joke? I can’t recall where but with all this talk of peak oil in the last few years I’m seeing more and more uses of the word “nuclear” in place of the term “nuclear power.” I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it in major magazines, newspapers and websites. “Digital” is used for “digital electronics” or specific things like amplifiers, like “with digital you can have better xxxxx…” more and more commonly in forums.
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### Author:  [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/7 "2006-09-22T06:32:55Z")
“DVD” is not an adjective. It’s a noun. It’s also a physical object, not a state of being. “Does that computer have DVD?” is not a valid question, while “Does that computer play DVDs?” is.
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### Author:  [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/8 "2006-09-22T06:33:58Z")
> [@BraheSilver](#):
>
> “DVD” is not an adjective. It’s a noun. It’s also a physical object, not a state of being. “Does that computer have DVD?” is not a valid question, while “Does that computer play DVDs?” is.
I guess that was kind of a non sequitor, huh. Let’s just make this a “misused word rant” thread.
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### Author:  [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/9 "2006-09-22T08:27:16Z")
In my opinion “install” can definitely be a noun.
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### Author:  [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/10 "2006-09-22T08:40:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> **BraheSilver** : Let’s just make this a “misused word rant” thread.
I suspect these misuses will be noted in the _Oxford_ as changes in the language before long. They seem to be coming about quite naturally.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/11 "2006-09-22T08:49:14Z")
I had always thought that “chiropractic” was the adjective pertaining to “chiropracty”, as with other medical or pseudo-medical disciplines. Am I completely wrong?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/12 "2006-09-22T11:19:01Z")
> [@jjimm](#):
>
> I had always thought that “chiropractic” was the adjective pertaining to “chiropracty”, as with other medical or pseudo-medical disciplines. Am I completely wrong?
I always thought that, but no, it’s both the noun and the modifier.
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/13 "2006-09-22T12:20:09Z")
I’d love to form some sort of National Academy of Language and Culture.
It’s goal would be preservation of the English language and American Culture as we know it. It could decide on what words we allow to mutate, words we don’t want as part of the offical language, etc. We could build a big white marble building in Washington D.C. and fill it with people like the OP.
Then, during normal working hours one day, we could blow the motherfucker up. With a bomb. Maybe Pat Buchanan would be it.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/14 "2006-09-22T12:23:43Z")
> [@Trunk](#):
>
> With a bomb. Maybe Pat Buchanan would be it.
Pat Buchanan’s da bomb? I never took you for a paleoconservative.
Daniel
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/15 "2006-09-22T12:58:16Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#):
>
> Pat Buchanan’s da bomb? I never took you for a paleoconservative.
>
> Daniel
P-Buke’s da bomb, yo!
[aside]He was on Bill Maher recently. Mostly talking about “defending” the Mexican border. He was getting A LOT of applause from the always-liberal Maher crowd. An L.A. crowd. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/16 "2006-09-22T13:07:45Z")
> [@Trunk](#):
>
> P-Buke’s da bomb, yo!
>
> [aside]He was on Bill Maher recently. Mostly talking about “defending” the Mexican border. He was getting A LOT of applause from the always-liberal Maher crowd. An L.A. crowd. :dubious:
Group of tourists from Nashville, maybe?
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/17 "2006-09-22T13:13:05Z")
Hey, I need my nuclear up and running. When are you going to do the install?
You see, when “install” is a noun, the accent is on the first syllable (IN- stall). When it’s a verb, it’s on the last syllable (in -STALL). Got it?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/18 "2006-09-22T13:49:55Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#):
>
> Digital is a computer company.
Digital (more accurately, Digital Equipment Corp) _was_ a computer company. Alas, no consigned to the dustbin of history. ☹ My first job…
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/19 "2006-09-22T14:42:50Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> Digital (more accurately, Digital Equipment Corp) _was_ a computer company. Alas, no consigned to the dustbin of history. ☹ My first job…
Yep. DEC got gobble by Compaq which in turn got gobbled by HP.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-and-nuclear-are-not-nouns/373672/20 "2006-09-22T16:12:07Z")
> [@riker1384](#):
>
> Also that. Don’t make Random Short Phrases[sup]TM[/sup] into trademarks to try to emphasize a point.
Find examples of uses of “digital” and “nuclear” as nouns. I’m not familiar with those usages, so I’m curious. Secondly, “install” is most assuredly a noun. After all, it’s routinely used that way, isn’t it?
By the way, next time you want to criticize my use of language, attribute your quotes, please. Also, remember that if you want to get into an argument over proper English usage, I will win that argument, as I know considerably more about the subject than you do.
> [@BraheSilver](#):
>
> “DVD” is not an adjective. It’s a noun. It’s also a physical object, not a state of being. “Does that computer have DVD?” is not a valid question, while “Does that computer play DVDs?” is.
The usage you describe is not adjectival. “Does that computer have \_\_\_\_?” requires a noun. So what’s your complaint? The object of “have” has to be a noun.
> [@jjimm](#):
>
> I had always thought that “chiropractic” was the adjective pertaining to “chiropracty”, as with other medical or pseudo-medical disciplines. Am I completely wrong?
No, you’re not wrong about “chiropractic” being an adjective. But it’s _also_ the noun to describe chiropractic practice. It sounds odd and awkward to me - that particular bit of derivational morphology (the “-ic” ending) is used much more frequently with adjectives than with nouns. But “chiropractics” and “chiropracty” simply aren’t used, so “chiropractic” it is, even if it seems strange.
> [@John Mace](#):
>
> You see, when “install” is a noun, the accent is on the first syllable (IN- stall). When it’s a verb, it’s on the last syllable (in -STALL). Got it?
Do you use it that way? (For those watching: this is a very usual pattern in English, as with, say, “record” the noun and “record” the verb, or “present” and “present”.) Because I don’t know how often I’ve used “install” as a noun, but I’m not certain that I stress the first syllable.
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