Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
by the power invested in me the by the United States Virgin Islands, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
http://stjohnweddings.com/service-choices.htm
But when she said the words, “And now, by the power invested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” a huge roar went up from the crowd, stamping the polished wooden floors with their feet, cheering, applauding and crying.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c … 6NLUJ1.DTL
I was at a wedding a while back and heard the preacher say “invested” rather than “vested”. It made me cringe. Investing is a financial arrangement. Vesting had its origins with the clergy, or anyone who wore robes of some kind in a ritual. These are called vestments. How the term evolved into “invested”, I have no idea. However, today it is commonly used.
It’s similar to the regardless/irregardless eggcorn. By the way, not long ago when correcting someone on “irregardless”, he pointed out that the word is in the dictionary. When I looked it up, indeed it is. However, the definition stated that it is an improper use of the word “regardless. Therefore, since it is present in the dictionary, is it correct to use?
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Some Google counts…
1,310,000 “vested interest in”
18,200 “invested interest in”
289,000 “power vested in”
49,500 “power invested in”
There is indeed a significant misuse of “invested” where “vested” is intended. However, the etymology of “invest” is along the Latin investire, to clothe, surround—so it may be closer to the etymology of “vested” than the poster suggests. I don’t know if it’s a hard-and-fast rule, but an eggcorn should have a distinct etymology from the original usage—a rule which I am sure I have also violated in the past. Also, “invest” has another definition: “to endow with a quality or characteristic,” and this might be the source of the misuse.
Last edited by jorkel (2006-12-03 11:51:52)
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It’s similar to the regardless/irregardless eggcorn. By the way, not long ago when correcting someone on “irregardlessâ€, he pointed out that the word is in the dictionary. When I looked it up, indeed it is. However, the definition stated that it is an improper use of the word “regardless. Therefore, since it is present in the dictionary, is it correct to use?
Being a rotten soul, I immediately interject my own word when someone says “irregardless”....I think all of you will get it- disirregardless.
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Whether a word in the dictionary makes it proper to use depends in part on whether the dictionary is prescriptive or descriptive, but also on the context (speech vs. writing, informal vs. formal, work vs. leisure). There are a lot of vulgar words in the dictionary, but whether one uses one of them is another matter. It’s a little like saying, well, it’s in the Bible, so it’s okay. (But the Bible is full of stories of incest, rape, child sacrifices, etc…)
Feeling quite combobulated.
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