# disgruntled vs. gruntled **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 2, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813 "2001-02-02T02:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/21 "2001-02-03T04:19:57Z")
Consider the verb _seed_ From M-W 1.To plant seeds in (land, for example); sow. 2.To plant in soil. 3.To remove the seeds from (fruit). You put seeds in, you take them out, you’re still seeding. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/22 "2001-02-03T05:14:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pjen \* > Aluminum [typo fixed] is an aberration- look at Titanium etc. You mean like Platinium, Lanthanium, Tantalium, and Molybdenium? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/23 "2001-02-03T09:04:49Z")
Apologies for my stupidity over Aluminum/Aluminium- it is a random case. However I still maintain that US and British English differ in some regular and some random usages. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/24 "2001-02-03T20:22:36Z")
There is no such substance as “aluminium”. According to the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry, the internationally-recognized body responsible, among other things, for officially deciding the names of the chemical elements, the name of element number 13 is “aluminum”. The IUPAC uses this name because it is the name given to said element by the chemist who first isolated it. Of course, there are many differences between the US and UK for which there is no official “right” or “wrong” form. When was the last time any of you Americans filled up your gas tank with petrol? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/25 "2001-02-03T21:27:56Z")
German: Aluminium French: Aluminium Italian: Alluminio Spanish: Aluminio UK English: Aluminium Australian English: Aluminium New Zealand English: Aluminium South African English: Aluminium Indian Sub-continent English: Aluminium However: American English: Aluminum Can you see a pattern? In Britain Aluminum is not a word, only an Americanism. The fact that an organisation defines it as Aluminum is only a convention. It only uses Aluminum because American English is the standard language for that institution. This doesn’t mean that the 13th element is called Aluminum in German, French, Italian, Spanish, or in English, only that it is Aluminum in US English. It also defines the name of the 26th element as Iron, but in France it is Fer etc.etc… Usage is Everything. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/26 "2001-02-03T21:42:04Z")
**Aluminum** was coined in 1812 by Sir Humphrey Davy, from Latin “alumen, aluminis”. However, he _originally_ had it as **Alumium** from “alumina”+ “-ium” (suffix meaning metal). Man, don’t they just love sticking to the ol’ Latin! In 1812, the British must have thought “to heck with this” and stuck to “aluminium” (like sodium, potassium, magnesium etc.) So – did American usage stem from Davy’s 1812 change because – maybe they didn’t exactly get on with dear ol’ Blighty at the time? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2001, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/27 "2001-02-04T07:32:54Z")
For a short history on the spelling of aluminum, see [Michael Quinion’s article](http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/aluminium.htm). According to that article, IUPAC has aluminium as its official spelling. As far as the OP, I will say as a patriotic, non-suicidal American that there is no such thing as a disgruntled postal worker. Nope, not a one. You won’t see me pissing-off a gruntledly-challenged postal worker by calling him disgruntled. No siree… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2001, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/28 "2001-02-04T08:04:49Z")
Ice Wolf: do you know what a rhetorical question is? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2001, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/29 "2001-02-04T08:39:16Z")
To **The Ryan** : Yes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813/30 "2001-02-04T19:56:03Z")
Feeling a need to contribute to this thread, I spent a little time at [MerriamWebster.com](http://www.merriamwebster.com), and I found out some shocking information. > [@](#): > > Main Entry: bun·kum > Variant(s): or bun·combe /'b&[ng]-k&m/ > Function: noun > Etymology: Buncombe county, N.C.; from a remark made by its congressman, who defended an irrelevant speech by claiming that he was speaking to Buncombe > Date: 1845 > : insincere or foolish talk : I was stunned by the etymology because I live in Buncombe County, NC. I don’t know if I can continue to be a part of a message board dedicated to fighting ignorance now that I know that I live in the birthplace of bunkum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disgruntled-vs-gruntled/52813.md?page=1)