this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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It's bullshit that the opposite of "impeachable" is "unimpeachable" instead of "peachable"

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[–] Prking@lemmy.world 42 points 9 months ago (3 children)

It’s because the im isn’t a prefix but part of the word. (It was originally spelt empeche)

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 19 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Ackshully:

Looking at the etymology, impeach is from old-french "empecher", and "em" was an alternative form of the old-french prefix "en".

And "empecher" is itself is derived from the late latin "impedicare", which uses the Latin prefix "im" from which the French prefix comes. And is prefixed to "predica".

So it it is a prefix.

Of course, the latin (and French) prefixes aren't used to indicate opposite meaning, like "in" often is. But that's just yet more bullshit.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

It’s basically from back in the day when there were still dinosaur peaches large enough to contain a badly-behaving consul.

[–] Skua@kbin.social 9 points 9 months ago

To be fair it was a prefix in the Latin word that it's ultimately derived from. We still treat it a little like a prefix when we use the im- part of the related "import" like a prefix, as we also have "export" and "transport"

[–] drislands@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago (2 children)

It's bullshit that the opposite of "important" is "unimportant" instead of "portant"

[–] Skua@kbin.social 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Should be exportant, obviously

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] synae@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 9 months ago

disportn't've

[–] bitwolf@lemmy.one 2 points 9 months ago

And "portant" to me sounds very similar to urgent which would make important a better negative / opposite.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 26 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Also, "gruntled" should be the opposite of "disgruntled".

[–] Prking@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] ptz@dubvee.org 16 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Well I'll be damned. I've used it as a word regardless, lol, but my spell check still hasn't gotten the memo apparently.

[–] OlinOfTheHillPeople@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I find this whole conversation whelming.

[–] raynethackery@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Stay whelmed.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So, would you say you’re more gruntled now?

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

You’re not fully gruntled till you’re zestfully gruntled.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 15 points 9 months ago

And something that has not been debunked is still bunk.

[–] wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Inflammable means flammable? What a country!

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Ehh, at least we don't randomly assign every noun one of three genders, and have to memorize them all in order to use the correct form of "the" when speaking about it.

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Just wait until you hear about declension

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago

Did that just happen?

[–] the_stat_man@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago (4 children)

These are called orphaned negatives and English has loads of them. A great article about them is here: https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2021/03/17/a-gruntled-look-at-orphan-negatives/

As a slight tangent, a similar peculiarity in English (which I don't know of a name for) is where you can use the opposite words for similar actions, e.g. you can chop a tree down and then chop it up.

[–] BehindTheBarrier@programming.dev 8 points 9 months ago

Reminds me of folding cardboard boxes. If you are taking a flat piece and make a box of it, are you folding a box or unfolding the cardboard. Or both. And when you do the reverse, you do the same, do you not?

[–] kurtrude@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Not exactly the same, but that also reminds me of autoantonyms or Janus words. The word dust can be used to describe adding dust or removing dust, for example.

[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Great link! I love the little story in there.

I actually use "shevelled" alongside many other words which to my mind "should logically exist" - for example, at the weekend I dismantled and then remantled a wall in my garden.

[–] the_stat_man@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Good one, and you now have a mantled wall!

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

Contronyms is another great one. English is so tuitive.

[–] daddyjones@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

The most consistent thing about English is how inconsistent it is!

Which is to be expected when you have a Germanic language that is so heavily influenced by Latin languages.

[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 13 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Well you guys can peach me any day you'd like. 👄

[–] Cinnamon3431@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

u gotsed peached

[–] Mesa@programming.dev 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't hate it. Pretty gusting if you ask me.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I am demused. I can't express my unappointment

[–] EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The existence of "amused" implies the existence of "bimused", "homomused", "panmused" and possibly even more

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

I'm metromused

[–] neidu2@feddit.nl 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Reminds me of that Doofenschmirtz line: "Ah, Perry the Platypus... As always, your timing is impeckable. And by that I mean COMPLETELY PECKABLE!"

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago
[–] oo1@kbin.social 5 points 9 months ago

expeachable

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Because im is not a typo of un

[–] MetaSynapse@kbin.social 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Speculater@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

Not to be rude but you meant to write: unpossible

[–] xia@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 9 months ago
[–] QuantumBamboo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 8 months ago
[–] DeadNinja@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Don't be surprised. Such quirks are unimpossible in English... /s

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It's bullshit that "colonel" is pronounced with an R sound, but "kernel" isn't pronounced with an "olo" sound.