# Name a word that doesn't mean what most people think it means **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523 "2009-01-09T14:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/161 "2009-01-13T01:54:13Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > It doesn’t mean skill, but it does mean strength, or strong point. As you noted in your example, her strength is playing the piano loudly. Nope! 🙂 That use of the word _forte_ is pronounced “fort”. It is derived from the hilt of a sword and means “strength or skill”. \*Forte \*pronounced “fortay” means softly, as in a musical direction. I was going to post that one myself! ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/162 "2009-01-13T02:01:30Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Nope! 🙂 > > That use of the word _forte_ is pronounced “fort”. It is derived from the hilt of a sword and means “strength or skill”. > > \*Forte \*pronounced “fortay” means softly, as in a musical direction. > > I was going to post that one myself! Hm, both Merriam Webster and [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) suggest otherwise. > [@M-W](#): > > usage In forte we have a word derived from French that in its “strong point” sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \ˈfȯr-ˌtā\ and \ˈfȯr-tē\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived 2forte. Their recommended pronunciation \ˈfȯrt\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \ˈfȯ-ˌtā\ and \ˈfȯt\ predominate; \ˈfȯr-ˌtā\ and \fȯr-ˈtā\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English. > [@dictionary.com](#): > > forte [fawrt, fohrt or, for 1, fawr-tey] > noun > > 1. a strong point, as of a person; that in which one excels: I don’t know what her forte is, but it’s not music. > 2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt (opposed to foible ). Either way, in music it means with force or loudly, not softly 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/163 "2009-01-13T03:58:25Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Hm, both Merriam Webster and [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) suggest otherwise. Interesting- I’ve never heard it that way, only the “fort” version for strong. They’re ya’ go! [quote=] Either way, in music it means with force or loudly, not softly 🙂 [/QUOTE] That one I’ll give ya’. Don’t know what I was thinking… piano means softly. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/164 "2009-01-13T05:05:32Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Because the distinction you make IS correct for Spanish. In Spanish you use “traer” (usually translated as “bring”) for carrying something to where the speaker is (or will be) at the moment of the action, not at the moment of the utterance, while you use “llevar” (usually translated as “take”) otherwise. In English, the important spatial concept is where the speaker is when he/she is talking. > . This one has always confused the hell out of me. And god knows I asked many times to people teaching me Spanish. I also made small drawings, hoping to remember. But I still can’t get it right ☹ ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/165 "2009-01-13T05:22:38Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Oops – in my first paragraph, I got it backwards – the distinction between English and Spanish should be the other way around. My example in the second paragraph is correct. You’re trying to confuse me even more, aren’t you? Could someone clear things up wrt traer and llevar? I’m not sure you weren’t correct in your first post. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/166 "2009-01-13T14:46:33Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > Without reading the rest of the thread to see if this has been addressed, “presently” has been more or less synonymous with “currently” since the 15th century, so it’s hard to see why you object to it. That’s just how I roll. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/167 "2009-01-13T15:16:28Z")
Infer Pressurise Careen ---
**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:** [January 13, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/168 "2009-01-13T21:34:23Z")
> [@Martha\_Medea](#): > > I’ve also seen ‘weary’ (tired) for ‘wary’ (suspicious). This might sometimes be a case of the fingers getting ahead of the brain. I often catch myself typing “to” when I know it should be “too”, or “they’re” instead of “there”. I completely understand which is correct, but sometimes my fingers seem to be guided by the sound of the word, before my brain’s spelling quality assurance circuitry has a chance to intervene. On the other hand, the words in your example are not homonyms in most dialects of English–might be interesting to hunt down the posts to which you refer and see if a pattern emerges in the members’ location… ---
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/169 "2009-01-13T21:35:42Z")
> [@groo](#): > > They are exacting definitions which could frequently describe specific, interesting situations, but when so many people misinterpret them, it’s actually safer not to use them. Well, they’ve certainly taken their toll on me. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/170 "2009-01-13T22:11:42Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > This one has always confused the hell out of me. And god knows I asked many times to people teaching me Spanish. I also made small drawings, hoping to remember. > > But I still can’t get it right ☹ I can tell you this: If you, say, are going to BRING a cake to a friend’s birthday party next week, you don’t say “Te traeré un pastel”, but rather “Te llevaré un pastel”, because from WHERE YOU ARE SPEAKING NOW, you’ll be TAKING it, not “BRINGING” it. Just like the example I gave with “voy” and “vengo”. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/171 "2009-01-13T22:13:36Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > This might sometimes be a case of the fingers getting ahead of the brain. I often catch myself typing “to” when I know it should be “too”, or “they’re” instead of “there”. I completely understand which is correct, but sometimes my fingers seem to be guided by the sound of the word, before my brain’s spelling quality assurance circuitry has a chance to intervene. This has just started happening to me in the last year or so, and since I’m a professional writer and editor, it’s very annoying (especially if I don’t catch it before hitting “send”). I blame all the dumb people in the world for providing me with bad examples and making me dumber. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/172 "2009-01-14T03:24:10Z")
“Laurels”, as in “to rest on one’s laurels”. I think a lot of people think it means “haunches” or something, i.e. to sit on your butt doing nothing at all instead of merely to be inactive after having already received awards. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/173 "2009-01-14T03:34:16Z")
“Smarmy” is often used as a synonym for “sleazy”, rather than “Eddie Haskellish”. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/174 "2009-01-14T05:02:29Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > “Laurels”, as in “to rest on one’s laurels”. I think a lot of people think it means “haunches” or something, i.e. to sit on your butt doing nothing at all instead of merely to be inactive after having already received awards. I would bet real money that it won’t be long before we hear of “acting on a haunch”. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/175 "2009-01-14T05:45:36Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I can tell you this: If you, say, are going to BRING a cake to a friend’s birthday party next week, you don’t say “Te traeré un pastel”, but rather “Te llevaré un pastel”, because from WHERE YOU ARE SPEAKING NOW, you’ll be TAKING it, not “BRINGING” it. > > Just like the example I gave with “voy” and “vengo”. Well, yes, but I believe we were talking about English. Every language behaves differently. And, anyway, you’d say, “Te llevo un pastel,” it being understood that the party is next week. Your ninth grade Spanish teacher is no more authoritative than your ninth grade English teacher. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/176 "2009-01-14T07:55:42Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Nope! 🙂 > > That use of the word _forte_ is pronounced “fort”. It is derived from the hilt of a sword and means “strength or skill”. > > \*Forte \*pronounced “fortay” means softly, as in a musical direction. > > I was going to post that one myself! Yeah, but this is one of those things where it’s usually better for most people to go with the flow. Maybe you can get away with it, but nothing good can come from me using the pronunciation “FORT”. Either, A) the person I say it to thinks I’m pretentious or dumb and doesn’t mention it; or, B) they _do_ mention it, I answer, “No, it’s actually pronounced “FORT” and you’ve just been saying it wrong all these years”, and I come off looking like a douche. Better to just stick with “FOR-TAY”. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/177 "2009-01-14T21:05:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Livid** > (snip) > But it actually means “empurpled”, deriving from words implying “the color of lead”. Someone who is “livid” is so angry or agitated that his or her face has turned purple with the stress of the emotion. Since this is in disagreement with what **Left Hand of Dorkness** said earlier in the thread, I looked it up. Merriam-Webster says it means either (1) discolored by bruising (black and blue), (2) ashen or pallid (what **Dorkness** said), (3) reddish, or (4) very angry, enraged. I didn’t find anything about purple. > [@mswas](#): > > ad hominem How is this misused? > [@cmosdes](#): > > A long time ago I learned, perhaps incorrectly, that a verbal contract could be either oral or written. “Verbal” just means it uses words. Could be oral, written, or produced by sending Morse code to a speech synthesizer. But nobody makes that distinction outside of the legal profession anymore. Unfortunate, too. It’s a useful distinction. > [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > This is why it ticks me off that the previously non-standard definition of “disinterested” has become the standard. There is no totally equivalent word, and when I want to communicate the concept to someone, I now have to use 10 words instead of one to ensure that the listener understands. It’s only been recently that I had a flash of insight into why certain language changes (e.g., making up new words) don’t bother me at all, while others (e.g., “disinterested” or “decimated”) really do. The difference is that adding new words enhances the language, giving us more tools to work with, while misusing a word until the “wrong” definition becomes the standard robs us of very useful words that have no exact synonym. > [@TheBoltEater](#): > > Either, A) the person I say it to thinks I’m pretentious or dumb and doesn’t mention it; or, B) they _do_ mention it, I answer, “No, it’s actually pronounced “FORT” and you’ve just been saying it wrong all these years”, and I come off looking like a douche. Sometimes you end up with a no-win situation. For example, the plural of “die” (one of those things you roll) is “dice.” If you’re talking about a die (as in “tool & die”), the plural is “dies.” But in the semiconductor industry, everyone uses “die” as the plural of “die” (an individual integrated circuit). So when I started writing for a semiconductor magazine in the 80s, I had to choose between looking like I didn’t know the industry (by using “dice” or “dies” as the plural) or looking like I didn’t know the “correct” plural of “die” (by using “die”). I decided to resolve the problem by never using the plural of “die”–rephrasing to use wafer, chips, or some other similar word. 😉 [Actually, the editor-in-chief told me to use “die” as the plural. It was the house style, and I followed it like a good writer.] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/178 "2009-01-14T21:52:28Z")
The first search hit, from the American Heritage dictionary: > [@](#): > > ADJECTIVE: > > Discolored, as from a bruise; black-and-blue. > Ashen or pallid: a face livid with shock. > Extremely angry; furious. > > ETYMOLOGY: > Middle English livide, from Old French, from Latin lvidus, from lvre, to be bluish; see slei- in Indo-European roots The bluish/purple is the same thing. Merriam-Webster online gives: > [@](#): > > Livid Definition > What Is Livid? Find Out w/the Dictionary Toolbar > [Dictionary.alottoolbars.com](http://Dictionary.alottoolbars.com) > Main Entry: liv·id > Pronunciation: \ˈli-vəd\ > Function: adjective > Etymology: French livide, from Latin lividus, from livēre to be blue; akin to Welsh lliw color and probably to Russian sliva plum > Date: 1622 > 1 : discolored by bruising : black-and-blue \ > 2 : ashen , pallid \ > 3 : reddish \ > 4 : very angry : enraged \ I never heard the ashen/pallid meaning before. I assume that it, like the reddish meaning, are new ones resulting from people assuming that “livid” must mean those colors, instead of the bluish one the word originally meant Etymology Online gives: > [@](#): > > ~ LIVID id+ | BLUISH GRAY or LEAD LIKE | > ^u id+ | DEATH or DEADLY LIKE | > id+ | DEATH DISCOLORS | see\> PALE > lat LIVIDUS = LIVID > ukr SLYVA PLUM > ger SCHLEHE WILD PLUM > hx\> SLYVOVITZ LIQUOR MADE FROM PLUMS > med\> LIVOR or LIVOR MORTIS is for > POST MORTEM DISCOLORATIONS IN > GRAVITY DEPENDENT AREAS OF CADAVERS sug\> CORPS > myth\> OBLIVION is POPULATED BY sug\> CORPSE > LIVID BODIES sug\> CORPORATION > see\> OBLIVION > ply\> | LIVID are those with a bad LIVER > as well as those LIVING in OBLIVION | [http://www.consultsos.com/pandora/livid.htm](http://www.consultsos.com/pandora/livid.htm) Random House’s Words at Random has a pretty long piece on it: > **[Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com?date=20010314)** > > Committed to publishing great books, connecting readers and authors globally, and spreading the love of reading. > [@](#): > > For years I thought livid meant ‘red’ because when a person was said to be “livid with rage,” I pictured someone who was red-faced with anger. > > I was surprised to learn that livid comes from the same root as lavender and sloe – and as the Serbian and Croatian sljiva ‘plum’, from which we get Slivovitz. > > The Indo-European root of these words is \*sleie meaning ‘bluish’. Sloe comes from Germanic \*slaihwon ‘blue’, so the sloe is ‘a bluish fruit’. Another form of this root developed into Latin livere ‘to be blue-black’, and that’s where we get both livid and lavender. > > The earliest citation I found for livid was in Bacon’s Henry VII (1622): “There followed no Carbuncle, no purple or liuide Spots.” **It originally meant the purplish-blue color of a bruise** , and that is still one of the meanings (emphasis mine) So the other definitions, including “red” have been dictionary-sanctified, and I must yield on that. But they’re developements from the original root as “bluish-purple” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/179 "2009-01-14T22:17:32Z")
**Rabbit Punch** –incorrectly used to mean “short, quick jab” as in “a rabbit punch to the chest.” Actually means a strike to the back or side of the neck or head. **Nubile** –incorrectly used as a physical description of firm-fleshed young women. Actually means “available for marriage.” ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523/180 "2009-01-15T00:39:53Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > “Laurels”, as in “to rest on one’s laurels”. I think a lot of people think it means “haunches” or something, i.e. to sit on your butt doing nothing at all instead of merely to be inactive after having already received awards. > > Valete, > Vox Imperatoris I learned what laurels were by playing Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest for the NES. Thank you Nintendo, you’ve once again proved that you’ve made me a better person, and that I wouldn’t have been better off not playing you for hours on end as a child. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-word-that-doesnt-mean-what-most-people-think-it-means/480523.md?page=10)