Thursday 21 June 2018

Ignoramuses

Definition of an ignoramus: person who thinks the plural of ignoramus is 'ignorami'. Ignoramus is not a Latin masculine singular but a 1st person plural verb meaning 'we do not know', from ignorare. And while we are about it, the plural of octopus is not octopi but octopodes; -us is not a Latin singular ending but comes from from Greek pous 'a foot'. Fake Latin plurals are an embarrassing attempt to be learned. Even genuine examples like musea, errata seem rather pompous. It is not an erratum to say museums and octopuses.

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