Why do we liquefy when we also solidify (but not soledefy)?
I always misspell liquefy and it drives me nuts.
Solids will (or, I suppose, have) solidify but liquids apparently miss out on the chance to liquidify. Instead they have to liquefy I'm sure this is a simple English rule that I have forgotten from elementary school but I can't put my finger on it.
orthography
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
add a comment |
I always misspell liquefy and it drives me nuts.
Solids will (or, I suppose, have) solidify but liquids apparently miss out on the chance to liquidify. Instead they have to liquefy I'm sure this is a simple English rule that I have forgotten from elementary school but I can't put my finger on it.
orthography
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
add a comment |
I always misspell liquefy and it drives me nuts.
Solids will (or, I suppose, have) solidify but liquids apparently miss out on the chance to liquidify. Instead they have to liquefy I'm sure this is a simple English rule that I have forgotten from elementary school but I can't put my finger on it.
orthography
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
I always misspell liquefy and it drives me nuts.
Solids will (or, I suppose, have) solidify but liquids apparently miss out on the chance to liquidify. Instead they have to liquefy I'm sure this is a simple English rule that I have forgotten from elementary school but I can't put my finger on it.
orthography
orthography
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
asked 3 hours ago
Brian RBrian R
21612
21612
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
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I don't think this is explained by any English rule. It's just based on etymology.
The spelling liquify actually exists as a variant.
In terms of etymology, the Latin source of liquefy is liquefacio, which is supposed to have been derived from compounding the verb liqueo with facio. A similarly-formed (now obsolete in English) word is calefy, where the first part comes from the Latin verb caleo. Putrefy may also be analogous.
In contrast, the Latin ancestor of solid, the adjective solidus, has no corresponding verb *"soleo" (an unrelated verb soleo "to be accustomed" exists). And the formation of the verb based on the adjective is supposed to have occurred in French, not in Latin: French solide + the French suffix -(i)fier made solidifier.
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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I don't think this is explained by any English rule. It's just based on etymology.
The spelling liquify actually exists as a variant.
In terms of etymology, the Latin source of liquefy is liquefacio, which is supposed to have been derived from compounding the verb liqueo with facio. A similarly-formed (now obsolete in English) word is calefy, where the first part comes from the Latin verb caleo. Putrefy may also be analogous.
In contrast, the Latin ancestor of solid, the adjective solidus, has no corresponding verb *"soleo" (an unrelated verb soleo "to be accustomed" exists). And the formation of the verb based on the adjective is supposed to have occurred in French, not in Latin: French solide + the French suffix -(i)fier made solidifier.
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
add a comment |
I don't think this is explained by any English rule. It's just based on etymology.
The spelling liquify actually exists as a variant.
In terms of etymology, the Latin source of liquefy is liquefacio, which is supposed to have been derived from compounding the verb liqueo with facio. A similarly-formed (now obsolete in English) word is calefy, where the first part comes from the Latin verb caleo. Putrefy may also be analogous.
In contrast, the Latin ancestor of solid, the adjective solidus, has no corresponding verb *"soleo" (an unrelated verb soleo "to be accustomed" exists). And the formation of the verb based on the adjective is supposed to have occurred in French, not in Latin: French solide + the French suffix -(i)fier made solidifier.
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
add a comment |
I don't think this is explained by any English rule. It's just based on etymology.
The spelling liquify actually exists as a variant.
In terms of etymology, the Latin source of liquefy is liquefacio, which is supposed to have been derived from compounding the verb liqueo with facio. A similarly-formed (now obsolete in English) word is calefy, where the first part comes from the Latin verb caleo. Putrefy may also be analogous.
In contrast, the Latin ancestor of solid, the adjective solidus, has no corresponding verb *"soleo" (an unrelated verb soleo "to be accustomed" exists). And the formation of the verb based on the adjective is supposed to have occurred in French, not in Latin: French solide + the French suffix -(i)fier made solidifier.
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
I don't think this is explained by any English rule. It's just based on etymology.
The spelling liquify actually exists as a variant.
In terms of etymology, the Latin source of liquefy is liquefacio, which is supposed to have been derived from compounding the verb liqueo with facio. A similarly-formed (now obsolete in English) word is calefy, where the first part comes from the Latin verb caleo. Putrefy may also be analogous.
In contrast, the Latin ancestor of solid, the adjective solidus, has no corresponding verb *"soleo" (an unrelated verb soleo "to be accustomed" exists). And the formation of the verb based on the adjective is supposed to have occurred in French, not in Latin: French solide + the French suffix -(i)fier made solidifier.
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
answered 2 hours ago
sumelicsumelic
48.6k8114219
48.6k8114219
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
add a comment |
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
Okay, wow. I've always spelled it with an i and never known (or realized or recalled) that it is not only also spelled with an e but that the e version is its primary spelling. In thinking about it, I must have known of the e version—but simply translated it in my head back into the i version I personally use. I just looked it up in all of my regular dictionaries—and this is indeed correct.
– Jason Bassford
11 mins ago
add a comment |
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