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Merriam-Webster Profile picture
@MerriamWebster
May 7, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
In one of those how-did-this-happen accidents of language, the 'in-' for 'inflammable' & the 'in-' for 'incombustible' are different.

The 'in-' in 'incombustible' means "not."

'Inflammable' come from 'inflame' [Latin 'in-' ("in" or "into") plus 'flammare' ("to flame")]

#AskMW
Here's more on 'inflammable':

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
There are also contranyms, or "janus words"--words that are their own opposites.

sanction
oversight
cleave
clip
fast

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
(Just please don't ask about 'biweekly,' OK?)

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More from @MerriamWebster

Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Jan 20
Hey ding-dongs, let’s have a chit-chat about Ablaut reduplication.

If you have three words, the order usually goes 'I-A-O.'
-tic-tac-toe

If there are only two words, ‘I’ is the first and the second is either ‘A’ or ‘O.’
-click-clack
-King-Kong
This seems to be a rule we all just… know?

It’s the reason why these don’t feel quite right…
-hop-hip
-raffriff
-spot-spit
-flop-flip
-zag-zig
-Ross Rick
Many brand names utilize our subconscious affinity for this rule to their advantage.

-KitKat
-Ziploc
-TikTok
-Yik Yak
-Tic-Tac
-Ping Pong
-Tivo
Read 4 tweets
Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Jan 13
Acoustic guitars used to just be called ‘guitars.’

Then, we invented electric guitars. Oh no.

Which meant saying ‘guitar’ wasn’t clear enough.

So 'guitars' became 'acoustic guitars.'

‘Acoustic guitar’ is an example of a ‘retronym.’

🧵⬇️
A 'retronym' is a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun.

Many retronyms have come about due to technological advances.
For example, all cameras used to only use film, so we just called them ‘cameras.’

Digital cameras are invented. What a world…

We now say ‘film camera’ for cameras that use film.
Read 6 tweets
Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Sep 18, 2025
-cease and desist
-null and void
-aid and abet
-free and clear
-ways and means

Why is law stuff like this always two words?

These are called ‘legal doublets’ and we can once again blame the Normans.

🧵⬇️
Post 1066, the language of nobility was French, and the language of the working class was English.

Since both English and French speakers needed to understand legal matters, a word from each language was often used to aid understanding:
⬇️
'breaking and entering'
breaking = English
entering = French

'will and testament'
will = English
testament = French
Read 5 tweets
Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Jul 16, 2025
Some words go together like jelly and peanut butter… wait, that sounds super weird.

A pair of words that is used in a fixed order in an idiomatic expression is called an ‘irreversible binomial.’

‘Peanut butter and jelly’ is an example of an irreversible binomial.
🧵⬇️
The order of these expressions is so fixed that the phrase becomes a standard part of the vocabulary.

Also, there isn’t ONE reason that determines order, but we do encounter some patterns.
Irreversible Binomials w/ Alliteration
- rock and roll
- sticks and stones
- the birds and the bees
- dine and dash
- mix and match
- wet and wild
- dos and don’ts
Read 7 tweets
Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Jan 24, 2025
Noncount nouns are words that don’t have usual plural forms.

These are words like ‘sand’ or ‘butter.’

They don’t use indefinite articles like ‘a’ or ‘an’ and take singular verbs.

“The butter is melting.”

“Sand blew in his face.”
The idea is that this kind of word notionally cannot be counted.

Even though sand is made up of many tiny parts, when we say “sand,” as when we say “water,” we mean an uncountable mass.

You wouldn’t say “a few sand” or “I need many water.”
Mass nouns are words where the plural is the same as the singular.

-deer
-sheep
-trout
-shrimp
-offspring
-series
-Japanese
-Vietnamese

These words don’t take the traditional plural '-s 'or '-es' ending—except sometimes.
Read 6 tweets
Merriam-Webster Profile picture
Oct 7, 2024
We don’t mean to sound possessive, but let’s talk about how to make last names plural.

The plurals of last names are just like the plurals of most nouns. They typically get formed by adding -s.

Jill and Tim Smith→ the Smiths
the Clarence family→ the Clarences
If the name already ends in s or z, the plural is formed by adding -es.

the Fernandez family → the Fernandezes
Mr. and Mrs. Jones → the Joneses

For Names that end in y, you only need to add an s to make them plural

the Daley family → the Daleys
If you want to talk about something that belongs to more than one member of a family, you start with the plural form and add an apostrophe to show possession:

the Smiths' car
a party at the Fernandezes' house
the Daleys' driveway
Read 6 tweets

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