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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-04-20 12:01:05

jorkel
Eggcornista
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 1456

DISECT a frog (dissect)

Google counts on Apr. 20, 2007
3,950,000 dissect
128,000 disect
Analysis by Joe Krozel

“Dissect” means to separate into pieces. Many people who study biology are aware that the word is made up of the components “dis-” and “sect”, and they are careful to enunciate it as such. Most of the rest of us seem to pronounce the word as if the components were “di-” and “sect.” “Di-” has the meaning “twofold,” and many who believe that the word “dissect” is actually “disect” might roughly define it as “cutting (something) into two”.

I would emphasize that I believe that “disect” is not simply a misspelling of “dissect”—mainly because of the way it is mispronounced and indeed misinterpreted. Also, the prefix “di-” is simply not correct in the current context: If one wants to speak of the dividing something into two, roughly-equal parts the proper term would be “bisect.”

Examples:

EYES! EW! we had to disect a sheeps eye…by the way..our eyes …EYES! EW! we had to disect a sheeps eye…by the way..our eyes look like tht too picture published by xxkristayy.
family.webshots.com/photo/1369875624072353141EHZaLN – 36k – Cached – Similar pages

Glamour Forums: Have you ever had to disect something?: Dos and …In 5th grade we were supposed to disect a frog. But we had to put them to sleep first. I couldn’t do it and the whole thing was so upsetting, ...
boards.glamour.com/message.jspa?messageID=188784 – 120k – Cached – Similar pages

Anniversary: Death of Malcolm X : British Expat Discussion ForumNot surprising he was such an ‘angry young man’ having his father ‘allegedly’ pushed under a bus and disected in two and the Police doing nothing about it. ...
britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=285737 – 57k – Supplemental Result – Cached – Similar pages

My dream 25th AE – VW GTI / VW Rabbit / VW Golf MkV ForumI read it in a magazine and it showed the Lambo engine being disected in two for effect I guess. If I remember I will post what magazine I saw it in so you …
www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7269 – 113k – Supplemental Result – Cached – Similar pages

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#2 2007-05-02 10:26:30

Dadge
Eggcornista
Registered: 2005-11-10
Posts: 82

Re: DISECT a frog (dissect)

Although you’re right, this is one spelling I’d like to see change! “Disect” is much better, now that that’s the way almost everybody says it.

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