Think of words such as unruly and disgruntled. What’s “ruly?” What’s “gruntled?” It turns out such oft-used words are antonyms of words we just don’t use any more. Or which never were. Here’s more from the Merriam-Webster dictionary and the Norfolk Virginian-PIlot:

Gruntled: (disgruntled): Disgruntle developed from dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble."

Ruly (unruly): Obedient, orderly.

Whelm: (Underwhelm/overwhelm): To cover or engulf something completely, usually with disastrous effect.

Flappable (unflappable): Easily upset.

Corrigible (incorrigible): Capable of being repaired or set right.

Wieldy (unwieldy): Manageable.

Kempt (unkempt): Neatly kept. Both kempt and unkempt have an ancestor in the Middle English verb meaning “to comb.”

Couth (uncouth). Sophisticated, polished.

Pervious (impervious): Accessible or permeable

Burse (disburse): It's an old word for purse.

Plussed (nonplussed): There is no such word. "Nonplussed" is from the Latin "non plus,'' meaning no more.

Chalant (nonchalant): There is no word in English. Nonchalant comes from an Old French word nonchaloir, meaning "to disregard."

Committal (noncommittal): This one doesn't work. "Committal" refers to burial. The etymology dictionary says “noncommittal” refers to an inability to commit to something.

Watch this on video: https://youtu.be/m2-ld_hp3QI

Next time: Grammatical optical illusions. Don’t look now!

Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong," features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police:” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we properly can credit you. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com

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