# Some "Facts" About The English Language **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848 "2000-07-17T14:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/21 "2000-07-17T21:59:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by iampunha \* > \*\*"16. Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning “containing arsenic.” > > How about unoriental? \*\* The correct order of vowels–aeiou Although unoriental contains all the vowels (and in reverse order) they are not in the order of aeiou. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/22 "2000-07-17T21:59:09Z")
Only two words (to my knowledge and barring the plurals of said words etc) that have double "u"s. Vacuum and Continuum. Being a poet, and therefore allowed to make words up and generally vex people, I have created a word that rhymes with month, and a word that ends in “gry” and used both in my poetry. Of course, they are both misspellings, and will probably be corrected when I die and my book is posthumously printed, but my true fans will know my genius… oh, and you guys. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/23 "2000-07-17T22:02:45Z")
1. underwound, underfund ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/24 "2000-07-17T22:19:24Z")
Have a few more double-U words: Muumuu, duumvirate, residuum. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/25 "2000-07-17T22:29:08Z")
Many of your questions will be answered here. I’m too lazy to go look up the answers though, that will be an exercise left for the alert reader. [A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia](http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words.html) ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/26 "2000-07-17T23:18:13Z")
“The only word with four vowels in a row: Onamotopoeia” how about miaou? queue? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/27 "2000-07-18T11:40:41Z")
Delta-9 quotes from the E-mail message: \> 12. To “testify” was based on men in the Roman court \> swearing to a statement made by swearing on their \> testicles. No, “testify” comes from the Latin word “testis” meaning a witness. “Testicle” seems to have come ultimately from “testis” also, possibly because the testicles were witnesses to a person’s manhood. ---
**Author:** ![jayron\_32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jayron\_32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayron_32)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/28 "2000-07-18T14:54:20Z")
more word trivia to debunk: I always heard that the only english word with six consecutive consonants was: watchspring I’m sure you guys could come up with some more valid words to have six consecutive consonants, and while my spidey-sense tells me that there MUST be more, I can’t think of any. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2000, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/29 "2000-09-14T22:33:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boris B \* > \*\*Okay, I don’t know what I was thinking about cleave and parts of speech. Both cleave “to cling together” and cleave “to split apart” are verbs. I suppose one takes a direct object, and one takes an indirect object, though. > > Actually, I don’t really like the “not arguable” definition of moot. I much prefer to use it to mean, “capable of being argued about for academic stimulation, but not for the purposes of drawing new conclusions”. Sort of a long definition, but I’m sort of attached to it. \*\* To me, “cleave” meaning split apart always applies to a single object which breaks or splits, and can imply either passive or active voice: “Calcite crystals will cleave easily and perfectly”, but also, “The force of the geologist’s hammer cleft the rock”. You’d never hear about two discrete entities “cleaving” in that context. You wouldn’t hear “The lovers were cleft by their incompatibilites”. Cleave (stick) implies discrete objects coming together, e.g. “His tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth and he coiuldn’t say ‘Frankincense’ without getting big laughs” $0.02 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/30 "2000-09-15T09:51:54Z")
The word “scan” can mean to look over something hastily without paying a lot of attention to details or to look at something very carefully and intently. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/31 "2000-09-15T09:54:54Z")
The words “comely” and “homely,” if I am told correctly, exchange definitions between British English and American. In American, “comely” means attractive and “homely” is unattractive. Any Brits to say I’m right or wrong out there? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/32 "2000-09-15T10:01:21Z")
> [@](#): > > And let’s not forget that worthy person’s assistant, whose title contains FOUR consecutive sets of double letters: > > the sub-bookkeeper. Although if you’re not exactly sure what this official title is, you can always revert to: the sub-bookeep person (that’s FIVE) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/33 "2000-09-15T10:04:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*The words “comely” and “homely,” if I am told correctly, exchange definitions between British English and American. In American, “comely” means attractive and “homely” is unattractive. > > Any Brits to say I’m right or wrong out there? \*\* Sorry - means the same over here. If you were to call my wife homely, I’d be insulted. Of course if you were to call my wife comely I’d probably be insulted and tell you to watch where you were staring. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/34 "2000-09-15T10:19:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayron 32 \* > \*\*more word trivia to debunk: > > I always heard that the only english word with six consecutive consonants was: > > watchspring > > I’m sure you guys could come up with some more valid words to have six consecutive consonants, and while my spidey-sense tells me that there MUST be more, I can’t think of any. \*\* “latchstring” Also from Lederer: Four vowels in a row: aqueous, sequoia Five vowels in a row: queueing Vowels in order: abstentious, adventitious, parecious Top-row key words: proprietor, perpetuity ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/35 "2000-09-15T10:52:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gary Kumquat \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > > \*\*The words “comely” and “homely,” if I am told correctly, exchange definitions between British English and American. In American, “comely” means attractive and “homely” is unattractive. > > > > Any Brits to say I’m right or wrong out there? \*\* > > Sorry - means the same over here. If you were to call my wife homely, I’d be insulted. Of course if you were to call my wife comely I’d probably be insulted and tell you to watch where you were staring. \*\* Could I call your wife Stella? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/36 "2000-09-15T12:30:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snooooopy \* > \*\*The words “comely” and “homely,” if I am told correctly, exchange definitions between British English and American. In American, “comely” means attractive and “homely” is unattractive. > > Any Brits to say I’m right or wrong out there? \*\* Also, the Brits use the word c\*nt to mean arse. They also drive on the wrong side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/37 "2000-09-15T12:32:09Z")
Is there any word with two i’s in a row besides skiing? ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/38 "2000-09-15T12:53:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*Is there any word with two i’s in a row > besides skiing? \*\* Radii - plural of radius ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/39 "2000-09-15T13:56:09Z")
Re: #& As I recall, there are any number of multisyllabic names of chemical compounds found in Beilstein that are far longer. While they are not in common parlance, they are undeniably English words. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848/40 "2000-09-15T14:01:13Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > Also, the Brits use the word c_nt to mean arse.\*\* Please tell me you’re being humerous. otherwise you’re very confused. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-facts-about-the-english-language/25848.md?page=3)