=Calculate= is often inappropriately used in lieu of _believe_,
_suppose_, _expect_, etc., as in the following sentences: "I
_calculate_ you are my friend;" "I _calculate_ the report is
true." Still worse than this passive misuse is that active one
of using the word in some such sense as this: "Doctor, I know
that you are a man of great intelligence and I have unlimited
confidence in your honor and ability; but I must say that I
think the course of treatment pursued by you during this
epidemic, is _calculated_ to increase the mortality among your
patients." How inconsistent with the encomium is the dreadful
accusation just following! As if the Doctor had sat down and
_calculated_ how he could cause injury rather than benefit.
Calculate means to ascertain by means of figures or to study
what means must be used to secure a certain result. A person
may make a speech, write a book, or do anything else
_calculated_ to do good, or more rarely, evil, but the
intention to accomplish the object spoken of must be present,
before the word can be properly used.
=Calliope=--kal-lī´o-pe, not kal´li-ōpe.
=Calvary=, not _cavalry_, when the place of our Saviour's
crucifixion is meant.
=Camelopard=--ka-mel´o-pärd or kam´el-o-pärd, not
kam-el-lĕop´ard.
=Cantatrice=--kăn-ta-trē´che, not kăn´ta-treess.
=Canon=--kăn´yun, not kăn´nun. A deep gorge or ravine.
Spelled also =Canyon=, pronounced kän-yōn´ or kăn´yon.
=Capoch=--ka-pōōtsh´, not ka-pōch´. =Capouch= is another
orthography.
=Caption= in the sense of the heading of a discourse, chapter,
page, etc., is not sanctioned by good writers.
=Carminative=--kär-mīn´a-tive, not kär´mi-nā-tive.
=Casualty=--kăzh´u-al-ty, not kăz-u-ăl´i-ty.
=Cater-cornered=--kā´ter-cor-nered, not kăt´ty-cor-nered.
Not down, thus compounded in Webster, but his pronunciation of
the separate words is as given. Worcester gives the word as
above and defines it as an adjective--diagonal. It is generally
used though, I believe, as an adverb; as, "the piano stands
cater-cornered" (diagonally). It is regarded as an inelegant
word, diagonal and diagonally being preferred: though it is
probable that this opinion has been caused by the abominable
pronunciations _catty_ and _kitty_ cornered.
=Catalpa=--ka-tăl´pa, not ka-tawl´pa.
=Catch=, =Catching=--kătch and kătching, not kĕtch and
kĕtching.
=Catholic= means liberal, general, not bigoted, and not _Roman_
Catholic, unless specially so applied.
=Caucasian=--kaw-kā´sian,not kaw-kāzh´ian, kaw-kăsh´ian,
kaw-kāz´ian nor kaw-kăss´ian.
=Cayenne=--kā-ĕn´, not kī-ĕn´.
=Chaps=--chŏps, not chăps. The jaws. =Chops= is also
correct orthography.
=Chasten=--chās´en, not chăs´en. =Chastened=,
=chastening=, etc., have also the long a.
=Chew=, not _chaw_. The latter word either as a verb or noun is
now considered quite vulgar.
=Chid=, not chī´ded, is the imperfect tense of chide.
=Chimera=--kĭ-mē´ra, not chi-mē´ra, nor kī-mē´ra.
=Chivalric=--shĭv´al-rik, not shĭv-ăl´rik. Worcester
allows the latter.
=Chivalrous=--shĭv´al-rŭs, not shĭv-ăl´rus. Worcester
gives chĭv´al-rus also.
=Chivalry=--shĭv´al-ry, not chĭv´al-ry. Worcester sanctions
both.
=Cicerone=--chē-che-rō´ne or sĭs-e-rō´ne, not
sĭs´e-rōne. A guide.
=Citrate=--sĭt´rate, not sī´trate. "Citrate of magnesia."
=Climbed=, not clomb (klum). One climbs _up_ but does not climb
_down_.
=Cochineal=--kŏch´i-neel, not kō´chi-neel nor
kō´ki-neel.
=Cocoa= (kō´kō) is not made from the cocoa-nut or tree, but
from the seeds of the _cacao_ (ka-kā´o) or chocolate tree.
The word is evidently a perversion, but it has gained a
permanent footing in its present signification.
=Cognomen=--kŏg-no´men, not kŏg´no-men.
=Cold-chisel=, not _coal-chisel_. It is a chisel of peculiar
strength and hardness for cutting _cold_ metal.
=Cole-slaw.= In the former editions of some dictionaries it has
been taught that this word is derived from _cole_ meaning
cabbage, and _slaw_ meaning salad. Cole-slaw--cabbage-salad.
The uninstructed soon changed the _cole_ into _cold_ and
substituted _hot_ for the other extreme of temperature, thus
entirely changing the signification. What was really meant, was
_hot cole-slaw_ and _cold cole-slaw_. Many persons still regard
_cole-slaw_ as the proper word, and receipt books give that
orthography. The last editions of Webster and Worcester,
however, only give the words _cole_ and _slaw_ in separate
places and define the latter as "sliced cabbage."
=Combatant=--kŏm´bat-ant, not kom-băt´ant.
=Combativeness=--kŏm´bat-ive-ness, not kom-băt´ive-ness.
=Come= is often thoughtlessly used for _go_ or some other word. If
How is just leaving Howard's house it is right for How to say,
"I'll come to see you soon," but Howard could not properly say,
_at that place_, the same thing. He should say, "I will go to see
you soon." If they both live in Philadelphia and should meet in
New York, neither could say appropriately, "I'll come to see you
after I get home;" that would mean that one would travel back
from his home in Philadelphia to New York to see the other. But
either might say, "Come and see me when you get home."
=Comparable=--kŏm´pa-ra-ble, not kŏm-păr´a-ble.
=Complaisance=--kŏm´pla-zans, not kŏm-plā´zăns. In
complaisant and complaisantly, the accent is also on the first
syllable. Worcester places it on the third, thus: complaisant
(kom-pla-zănt´), etc.
=Comptroller=--kon-trōl´ler, not kŏmp-trōl´ler.
=Conduit=--kŏn´dĭt or kŭn´dit, not kŏn´duĭt or
kŏn´dūte. A pipe or canal for the conveyance of fluid.
=Confab=, not _conflab_. A contraction of confabulation.
=Congeries=--kŏn-jē´rĭ-eez, not kon-jē´rēz nor
kŏn´je-rēz. A collection of particles into one mass.
=Contemptuous=, not =contemptible=, when the manifestation of
contempt for another is meant. I once heard a young lady
describing how she had withered at a glance a poor young man
that had incurred her displeasure. "O, I gave him such a
_contemptible_ look," said she. If in the enthusiasm of the
rehearsal, the look that dwelt upon her features was akin to
that given upon the occasion mentioned, no auditor doubted the
exact truth of what she said; but she meant differently.
=Contiguous=--kon-tig´ū-ŭs, not kon-tĭj´ū-ŭs.
=Contour=--kŏn-tōōr´, not kŏn´tōōr. The
boundary lines of a figure.
=Contra-dance= is better than _country-dance_, the latter word
being a corruption; but it has become admissible from long use.
_Contredanse_ is the French original, and means that the
parties stand opposite to each other.
=Contrary=--kŏn´tra-ry, not kon-trā´ry, interfering with
the rhythm of the distich from Mother Goose's Melodies:
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?"
=Contumacy=--kŏn´tu-ma-sy, not kon-tū´ma-sy. Obstinacy,
stubbornness.
=Contumely=--kŏn´tu-me-ly not kŏn-tū´me-ly. Insolence,
contemptuousness.
=Conversant=--kŏn´ver-sant, not kon-vĕr´sănt.
=Conversazione=--kŏn´ver-sät-se-ō´nā, not
kon-ver-săs´si-ōne. A meeting for conversation. Worcester
pronounces it kŏn-ver-sät-ze-ō´nā. The plural is
conversazioni (-nē).
=Corporal= punishment, not cor-pō´re-al.
=Cortege=--kôr´tāzh, not kor´tēje. A train of attendants.
=Councilor=, is a member of council.
=Counselor=, one who gives advice. Worcester's spelling is
councillor and counsellor.
=Creek=, not krĭck.
=Creole.= From Webster's dictionary are taken the following
definitions and remarks:
1. "One born in America, or the West Indies, of European
ancestors.
2. "One born within or near the tropics, of any color. 'The
term creole negro is employed in the English West Indies to
distinguish the negroes born there from the Africans
imported during the time of the slave trade. The application
of this term to the colored people has led to an idea common
in some parts of the United States, though wholly unfounded,
that it implies an admixture greater or less of African
blood.'--R. Hildreth."
=Crinoline=--krĭn´o-lĭn, not krĭn´o-līne nor
krĭn´o-leen.
=Cuirass=--kwē-răs´ or kwē´răs, not kū´răs. A
piece of armor.
=Cuisine=--kwe-zēn´, not kū-seen´ or kū-zīne´.
Cooking or cooking department.
=Culinary=--kū´li-na-ry, not kŭl´i-na-ry.
=Cupola=--kū´po-la, not kū-po-lō´.