Val Dumond

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Intern, Outtern, Upturn, Downturn, Overturn...
If We Won't Make Up Words, Who Will?
by Val Dumond
©2007

Many words in our crazy language make little or no sense whatsoever - at least as far as root words, suffixes and prefixes are concerned.

Take, for example, the word inundated. Is there an outundated? No, but there is a dated, undated and an outdated, which have nothing to do with being swamped unless you're dating three people at one time.

Or the word outstanding. Is there an instanding? And is standing its opposite? I think not.

Then there's outrageous. Has anyone heard of inrageous? Or just plain rageous?

Nobody in medical circles knows what an outtern would be, although they are well acquainted with interns. Neither word is related to upturn, downturn, overturn, or underturn. Go figure! I'm a person who can't tell the difference between withstanding and notwithstanding.

Ellen Goodman, one of my favorite columnists, once wrote about word glitches she has encountered (no, there isn't an outcountered). She explained how someone "boldly, maybe foolheartedly, spoke out." Then she (almost) apologized for having "made up a word." She continued, "that was indeed foolhardy of me, but not foolhearty." Hardy means"vigorous, robust, unrestrained," while hearty means "warmly, exuberantly, and unrestrained." Hearty also is "a sailor." I wouldn't quarrel with a sailor behaving in either a foolhardy or a foolhearty way.

Hey, Ellen, it's okay to make up words!

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