Difference between revisions of "Height"
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PeterWilson (Talk | contribs) (New page: {{gillett}} The abstract noun '''height''' is spelled thus. Some difficulties may be *because it is derived from the adjective '''high''', which has no '-e-' *the combination of ...) |
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*because it is derived from the [[adjective]] '''high''', which has no '-e-' | *because it is derived from the [[adjective]] '''high''', which has no '-e-' | ||
*the combination of letters '-eigh-' is more usually the spelling of the /eɪ/ sound, as in '''eight''' (8) and '''weight'''. | *the combination of letters '-eigh-' is more usually the spelling of the /eɪ/ sound, as in '''eight''' (8) and '''weight'''. | ||
| − | *'''height''' was, until the eighteenth century, commonly written with what we now see as an extra '-h': '''heighth''', using the [[common Germanic]] [[suffix]] '-th' to form a [[noun]] from an [[adjective]], as in '''width''' (from 'wide') and '''breadth''' (from 'broad'). | + | *'''height''' was, until the eighteenth century, commonly written with what we now see as an extra '-h': '''heighth''', using the [[common Germanic]] [[suffix]] '-th' to form a [[noun]] from an [[adjective]], as in the wsordsx of measurement '''depth''' (from 'deep'), '''width''' (from 'wide'), '''length''' (from 'long') and '''breadth''' (from 'broad'). |
| + | ::Other nouns formed in this way from adjectives include '''health''' ('[[hail - hale|hale]]', modern 'whole'), '''filth''' ('foul'), '''youth''' ('young'), '''wealth''' ('[[weal]]', or 'well'), '''warmth''' ('warm') (and the mostly jocular '''coolth''', from 'cool') and '''mirth''' ('merry'); and from [[verb]]s '''death''' (from 'to die'), '''birth''' ('to bear'), '''stealth''' (from 'to steal', mostly in the sense 'to move secretly or surreptitiously'), '''growth''' ('to grow') and '''tilth''' ('to till') | ||
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| + | [[Category:etymology]] | ||
Revision as of 11:09, 10 August 2013
This is one of the 117 mis-spellings listed as 'Common difficulties' in the section on 'Spelling' within 'Writing' in UEfAP.
The abstract noun height is spelled thus.
Some difficulties may be
- because it is derived from the adjective high, which has no '-e-'
- the combination of letters '-eigh-' is more usually the spelling of the /eɪ/ sound, as in eight (8) and weight.
- height was, until the eighteenth century, commonly written with what we now see as an extra '-h': heighth, using the common Germanic suffix '-th' to form a noun from an adjective, as in the wsordsx of measurement depth (from 'deep'), width (from 'wide'), length (from 'long') and breadth (from 'broad').
- Other nouns formed in this way from adjectives include health ('hale', modern 'whole'), filth ('foul'), youth ('young'), wealth ('weal', or 'well'), warmth ('warm') (and the mostly jocular coolth, from 'cool') and mirth ('merry'); and from verbs death (from 'to die'), birth ('to bear'), stealth (from 'to steal', mostly in the sense 'to move secretly or surreptitiously'), growth ('to grow') and tilth ('to till')
