More Words That Derive from Mistakes

Adam C.
Here is another list where historical misinterpretation is the source of language change. Often lack of familiarity with the grammar of the source language, specifically how the language forms plurals, is to blame. Just as often, though, the meaning of the word has been misunderstood and misapplied to something else. Also included are some English words seen primarily in the plural whose singular forms are in danger of disappearing altogether.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. syllabus
    a summary or outline of what will be covered in an academic course
    In each class, your syllabus provided you with all the details you needed to succeed.
    —Forbes (May 18, 2014)
    The Latin word the English derives from is a misreading of the Greek word sittybos, so the mistake is not an English one, but a mistake lies at the heart of the history of this word nonetheless.
  2. assassin
    a murderer, especially of a prominent political figure
    In 1999's "The World Is Not Enough," it was hard to tell which plot — the assassin's or the film's — fell apart faster.
    —Los Angeles Times (May 16, 2014)
    The "in" in this word is a plural marker mistaken for part of the root, making assassins technically redundant.
  3. genius
    someone who has exceptional intellectual ability
    Aristotle, otherwise an acknowledged genius, decided that lightning bolts happen when great quantities of “exhalation” are “squeezed out of the cloud.”
    —Washington Times (May 17, 2014)
    As a word of Latin origin, the Latin plural would be genii, but geniuses tend to have enough trouble socially without insisting on this being the correct form of the plural...
  4. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    On Wednesday, the Standard Hotel issued a statement saying that the culprit who leaked the video had been identified and fired.
    —Los Angeles Times (May 15, 2014)
    Not a word, but a misreading of a French phrase used in the court room: Culpable: (prest d'averrer nostre bille), which translates to "Guilty, ready (to prove our case)" something the prosecutor would say that was abbreviated cul.prit and mistaken for an English way to address the defendant.
  5. aborigine
    an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
    She points out that apart from Australia's aborigine population everyone here has immigrant roots.
    —BBC (Aug 31, 2013)
    The "s" in the Latin source, aborigines was mistaken for a plural marker, and removed to produce this singular. The proper singular is aboriginal
  6. crescent
    a curved shape tapers at the ends
    Over the years numerous other Southwest paintings resembling a crescent moon and star were discovered, and experts quickly linked them with the Crab supernova.
    —Scientific American (Jan 16, 2014)
    Ultimately from a Latin root meaning to "thrive or swell". It was in this sense that it was applied to the phase of the moon known to English speakers as a waxing moon. This reference to a phase of the moon was mistaken for a reference to the shape itself and has referred to the shape ever since.
  7. data
    a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn
    The utilities have asked for an extended deadline on their report about flood risks because they didn’t receive key flood data from the U.S.
    —Washington Times (May 19, 2014)
    Often used in the singular, this word is actually a plural, the singular being datum.
  8. effigy
    a representation of a person
    He had converted a Scrooge puppet he had made for World Book Day into an effigy of Michael Gove.
    —BBC (Mar 26, 2014)
    From Latin effigies, the "s" was again mistaken for a plural and removed.
  9. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
    Americans abroad can be pariahs shunned by banks for daily banking activities.
    —Forbes (May 3, 2014)
    The source is a plural word form ultimately from Tamil, a language of India, paraiyar which means "drummers." The connection here is that most of those who played the drums were social outcasts.
  10. graffiti
    unauthorized drawings or writing on walls in public places
    But graffiti usually turns out to be costly for everyone, as taxpayers ultimately pay the bill to have the designs erased.
    —Washington Times (May 16, 2014)
    This word is actually a plural, with the singular being graffito.
Created on 五月 19, 2014 (updated 五月 19, 2014)

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