subpoenability, anathemability

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

jeReMi - 30 Dec 2003 12:39 GMT

The usage of them is very rare but there are some hits on google (in
newsgroup search) for subpoenability. I wonder if that spelling is correct
and if it shouldn't be "subpoenaability" with double "a".

Reply to this Message

Mike Lyle - 31 Dec 2003 21:50 GMT

> The usage of them is very rare but there are some hits on google (in
> newsgroup search) for subpoenability. I wonder if that spelling is correct
> and if it shouldn't be "subpoenaability" with double "a".

Funny: I thought I'd replied to this.

As far as I know, -aa- is used in English only for the transcription
of foreign and dialect words. We use -ee- and -oo-, but the other
vowels aren't generally doubled in "native" words. Anyhow, I think
we'd usually express the idea by a phrase such as "liability to
subpoena", "deserving of anathema", etc etc.

Mike.

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2003

subpoenability, anathemability