=Machiavelian=--măk-i-a-vēl´ian, not măsh-i-a-vĕl´ian.
pertaining to Machiavel; politically cunning.
=Mad.= In the sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant, _angry_
is generally considered the more appropriate word. "_Mad as a
March hare_," is an indelicate term that should not be used on
account of its origin.
=Madame=--mä-däm´, not măd´am.
=Magna Charta=--magna kär´ta, not magna chär´ta.
=Manes=--mā´nēz, not mānz. The souls of the dead.
=Manor=--măn´or, not mā´nor.
=Marigold=--măr´i-gold, not mā´ri-gold.
=Matin=--măt´in, not mā´tin.
=Matins=--măt´inz, not mā´tinz.
=Mattress=--măt´tress, not ma-trăss´. Written also
=matress= and pronounced as the first.
=Meaw=--mū, not meyow. To cry like a cat.
=Mediocre=--me´di-ō-ker, not mē-di-ō´ker, nor
mē-di-ŏk´er.
=Melange=--mā-lŏngzh´, not me-lănj´.
=Melanotype=--me-lăn´o-type, not me-lān´o-type.
=Melodrama=--mĕl-o-drā´ma, not mĕl-o-drăm´a, nor
mĕl-o-drä´ma.
=Memoir=--mĕm´wor or mēm´wor, according to Webster;
Worcester gives mē-moir´ or mĕm´wär.
=Mesdames=--mā-däm´, not mĕz-dāmes´.
=Metallurgy=--mĕt´al-lur-jy, not me-tăl´lur-jy.
=Metaphor.= The failure to distinguish between metaphors and
similes, is a very common mistake. In a metaphor the
resemblance is implied without any words to show the
similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a
simile. "Hope is an anchor," and "Judah is a lion's whelp" are
metaphors. "Hope is _like_ an anchor," and "Judah is _like_ a
lion's whelp" are similes.
=Metrical=--mĕt´rik-al, not mē´trik-al.
=Mezzo=--mĕd´zō or mĕt´zō, not mĕz´zō. An
Italian word meaning middle; not extreme. =Mezzo-soprano=
(mĕd´zo-so-prä´no); between contralto and soprano; said of
the voice of a female singer. =Mezzotinto=, etc.
=Microscope=--mī´kro-scope, not mĭk´ro-scope. =Microscopic=
(mī-kro-scŏp´ic). =Microscopy= (mī-kros´co-py).
=Mien=--meen, not māne.
=Mineralogy=--min-er-al´o-jy, not min-er-ŏl´o-jy.
=Minuet=--mĭn´ū-et, not mĭn-ū-ĕt´. A dance.
=Mischievous=--mĭs´che-vŭs, not mĭs-chē´vŭs, nor
mis-chē´ve-us. =Mischievously= and =mischievousness= are
also accented on the first syllable.
=Modulate.= This word is often used incorrectly instead of
_moderate_ in such sentences as: "_Modulate_ your voice," when
it is meant to command or request that the tone be _moderated_
or lowered. _Modulate_ means to vary or inflect in a musical
manner, and although the word might often be used with
propriety in such sentences as the above, yet it is not always
what is _meant_ by the speaker. A person's voice may be
perfectly _modulated_ and yet the tone may be so high that it
is desirable, upon certain occasions, to have it _moderated_.
=Moire=--mwôr, not mōre nor mō´re. =Moire antique= (mwor
ăn-tēk´).
=Molasses.= It may seem incredible to those who have never heard
the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder
could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had
only heard _of_ it; but I was once in a portion of the country
where all the people for miles around spoke of molasses as if
it were a plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as
the following: "_These_ molasses are very good; _they_ are the
best I have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate
with one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and
insisted that he should say, "_this_ molasses" and, "_it_ is
good," etc.; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word
was analogous to _ashes_, and if one was plural so was the
other. There was no good dictionary or other reliable authority
in the neighborhood, as might be imagined from what has been
said, so they were left happy in their ignorance.
=Monad=--mŏn´ad, not mō´nad. An ultimate atom.
=Monogram=--mŏn´o-gram, not mō´no-gram.
=Monograph=--mŏn´o-graph, not mō´no-graph.
=Monomania=--mŏn-o-mā´nia, not mō-no-mā´nia.
=Monomaniac= (mŏn-o-mā´ni-ac).
=Moor=--mōōr, not mōre. An extensive waste; a heath.
_Moor_, the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly
pronounced.
=Morale=--mo-räl´, not mŏr´āle nor mō-răl´.
=Mountainous=--mount´ain-ous, not moun-tā´ni-oŭs.
=Multiplication=--mŭl-ti-pli-cā´tion, not
mŭl-ti-pi-cā´tion.
=Murrain=--mŭr´rĭn, not mŭr´rāne. A disease among
cattle.
=Museum=--mu-zē´um, not mū´ze-um.
=Mushroom=, not _mush-roon_.
=Musk-melon=, not _mush-melon_; but anything before
_mush-million_.
=Mussulmans=, not _musselmen_, is the plural of =Mussulman=.
=Mythology=--mĭ-thŏl´o-jy, not mī-thŏl´o-jy.