# Email's homophone **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610 "2020-02-27T18:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/41 "2020-02-28T21:38:23Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > In French, _photocopie_ is the noun for a photocopy (as in Xerox). There’s also _photocopier_ (the verb, pronounced like fotocopiay) and _photocopieur_ (noun for the copying device). The other two words you mention are for faxes. However, just as I’ve seen, years ago, an email label on German enamel ware, I’ve also, around 1990 when I was teaching fax machine repair, seen a European fax machine with a version of the word ‘photocopy’ on it. And no, it was a 1980’s fax machine, and just did fax. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/42 "2020-02-28T23:48:30Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > The interesting thing about this discussion is that his point about punctuation can only be made by removing accent marks. One would think that pedantry of this level would prevent him from doing so. Not so. The _English_ word “email” as in “email ink” is not written with an accent. It is written (but not pronounced) identically to the modern word. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/43 "2020-02-29T00:53:36Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > Yes, this is the context of that section of the usage guide except that I don’t believe that he was attempting a joke (which is not acceptable on whatever planet he is from). The pedant was making a point about clarity in writing. He implied that readers would not be confused by “e-mail”, which has one definition, but would be confused by “email”, which has “at least two” definitions. So why on earth didn’t you include this information in your mystifying OP? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/44 "2020-02-29T01:03:14Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > The interesting thing about this discussion is that his point about punctuation can only be made by removing accent marks. One would think that pedantry of this level would prevent him from doing so. Hoist by his own _pétard_. **Gaudere** ’s Revenge! Ha! ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/45 "2020-02-29T13:00:13Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > So why on earth didn’t you include this information in your mystifying OP? Are you always so unpleasant to people asking a general question on a General Questions message board? I quoted the source that said, “(By the way, note that email (pronounced “ay-my”) is a color.)”, then asked what color email is. I didn’t have a way of knowing at the time that the source was borrowing from French. At the time of writing the OP, I assumed that somebody with access to the Oxford English Dictionary or similar would be able to answer the question. This doesn’t seem to be “mystifying”. Thanks to everybody else for the interesting discussion. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/46 "2020-02-29T14:09:36Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > Are you always so unpleasant to people asking a general question on a General Questions message board? > > I quoted the source that said, “(By the way, note that email (pronounced “ay-my”) is a color.)”, then asked what color email is. I didn’t have a way of knowing at the time that the source was borrowing from French. At the time of writing the OP, I assumed that somebody with access to the Oxford English Dictionary or similar would be able to answer the question. This doesn’t seem to be “mystifying”. > > Thanks to everybody else for the interesting discussion. A good OED substitute is [etymonline.com](http://etymonline.com). It’s what I use when I need etymological information, but it could be helpful for this type of question as well. Email does not appear to refer to a color in English at all (and, from what we’ve seen above, neither does it in French.) [Here is their entry for email](https://www.etymonline.com/word/email#etymonline_v_5764): > [@](#): > > email (n.) > type of pottery design pattern, 1877, from French email, earlier esmail (12c.), literally “enamel” (see enamel (n.)). Also now a variant of e-mail. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/47 "2020-02-29T14:23:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > A good OED substitute is [etymonline.com](http://etymonline.com). It’s what I use when I need etymological information, but it could be helpful for this type of question as well. Email does not appear to refer to a color in English at all (and, from what we’ve seen above, neither does it in French.) > > [Here is their entry for email](https://www.etymonline.com/word/email#etymonline_v_5764): That’s a great resource! Thanks, **pulykamell**. I looked for the OED online but needed a subscription for it. The pedant in question teaches a class that requires a research paper. If I ever have to take this class, the topic of my paper may be “Uncommon Mistakes and Incorrect Statements Regarding Email”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/48 "2020-02-29T14:51:40Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > That’s a great resource! Thanks, **pulykamell**. I looked for the OED online but needed a subscription for it. If you’re at an educational institution, you might want to check to see if you have access to the OED via them. I would check with their library. It’s been a couple decades since if I’ve been in college, but I see my university gives you access if you have a university NetID and password. (And you can access it from your computer at home – you don’t have to go to the library.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/49 "2020-02-29T16:04:02Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > That’s a great resource! Thanks, **pulykamell**. I looked for the OED online but needed a subscription for it. > > The pedant in question teaches a class that requires a research paper. If I ever have to take this class, the topic of my paper may be “Uncommon Mistakes and Incorrect Statements Regarding Email”. I highly support this idea! Hope you get to see the look on his face when it sinks in. (Also, that you get an “A.”) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/50 "2020-02-29T18:42:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > A good OED substitute is [etymonline.com](http://etymonline.com). It’s what I use when I need etymological information, but it could be helpful for this type of question as well. Then what is [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/email), chopped liver? You can get more lexical information from there than any other site I know. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/51 "2020-02-29T20:11:17Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Then what is [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/email), chopped liver? Ummm…no? Wiktionary is a perfectly good resource and one that I use all the time. Did I badmouth it or something? Where is this unnecessary tone coming from? I prefer etymonline for English-language etymological references a la the OED. I thought I had sufficiently caveated that in the part where I said “it’s what I use when I need etymological information.” That’s why I mentioned it. And now that you mention it, yes, Wiktionary is also another good place to check, particularly if you are looking across languages, and not just English. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/52 "2020-02-29T20:45:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ummm…no? Wiktionary is a perfectly good resource and one that I use all the time. Did I badmouth it or something? Where is this unnecessary tone coming from? > > I prefer etymonline for English-language etymological references a la the OED. I thought I had sufficiently caveated that in the part where I said “it’s what I use when I need etymological information.” That’s why I mentioned it. And now that you mention it, yes, Wiktionary is also another good place to check, particularly if you are looking across languages, and not just English. Sorry. I’m sure I’m just being grumpy and my mood is affecting my reading of the “tone” in the post. I’m sure no offense was meant by you. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/53 "2020-02-29T21:56:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sorry. I’m sure I’m just being grumpy and my mood is affecting my reading of the “tone” in the post. I’m sure no offense was meant by you. 'S OK. Hey, I have etymonline bookmarked too, and use it a lot. I just feel unsatisfied if the etymology isn’t traced all the way back to Proto-Indo-European or other proto language, like my brain has had the appetizer but not the main course, still hungry for those sweet, crispy, delicious etyma. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/54 "2020-03-01T20:16:02Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610/55 "2020-03-01T21:50:42Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > They were pushing “courriel” hard when I lived in France (1999-2000) but in conversation, nearly everyone said “email” with a French accent. I had heard that the “courriel” movement was mostly dead these days, but is that not true? It seems to be the standard word in French in Canada. Here’s a contact page for a government department (first one I picked off a list): [Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada](http://www.agr.gc.ca/fra/coordonnees-dagriculture-et-agroalimentaire-canada/?id=1360882573376) (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emails-homophone/848610.md?page=2)