Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) Read Free Page A

suffered from it.
    altar, alter. The first is a table used in worship; the second means to change.
    altercation means a heated exchange of words. If blows are traded or shoving is involved, it is not properly an altercation.
    Althing. Parliament of Iceland.
    altocumulus, altostratus (each one word) for types of cloud.
    alumnae, alumni.
Alumni
is the masculine plural for a collection of college graduates. In the context of an all-female institution, the correct word is
alumnae
. The singular forms are
alumna
(feminine) and
alumnus
(masculine).
    alyssum. Border plant.
    Alzheimer’s disease, but in formal medical contexts the non-possessive form Alzheimer disease is increasingly used instead.
    a.m./AM.
Ante meridiem
(Lat.) Before midday.
    Amalienborg Palace. Residence of Danish royal family in Copenhagen.
    amanuensis. One who takes dictation; pl.
amanuenses.
    amaretto. Liqueur; pl.
amarettos.
    Amarillo, Texas.
    amaryllis.
    ambergris. Substance used in the manufacture of perfumes.
    ambidextrous. Not
-erous.
    ambience.
    ambiguous, equivocal. Both mean vague and open to more than one interpretation. But whereas an
ambiguous
statement may be vague by accident or by intent, an
equivocal
one is calculatedly unclear.
    Amenhotep. Name of four kings in the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt.
    America’s Cup. Yacht races.
    americium. (Not cap.) Chemical element.
    AmeriCorps. Voluntary service organization.
    AmerisourceBergen. (One word.) Pharmaceutical supply company.
    Améthyste, Côte d’, France.
    Amharic. Semitic language; official tongue of Ethiopia.
    amicus curiae. (Lat.) “Friend of the court.” Pl.
amici curiae.
    amid, among.
Among
applies to things that can be separated and counted,
amid
to things that cannot. Rescuers might search among survivors, but amid wreckage.
    amniocentesis. The withdrawing of amniotic fluid from a pregnant woman’s uterus.
    Ã  moitié. (Fr.) In part, halfway.
    amok is generally the preferred spelling, but amuck is an accepted alternative.
    among, between. A few authorities insist that
among
applies to more than two things and
between
to only two. But by this logic you would have to say that St. Louis is among California, New York, and Michigan, not between them. Insofar as the two words can be distinguished,
among
should be applied to collective arrangements (trade talks among the members of the European Community) and
between
to reciprocal arrangements (a treaty between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada).
    amoral, immoral.
Amoral
describes matters in which questions of morality do not arise or are disregarded;
immoral
applies to things that are evil.
    amour-propre. (Fr.) Self-respect.
    Ampère, André Marie. (1775-1836) French physicist. The unit of electricity named after him is ampere (no cap., no accent).
    amphetamine.
    amphibian, amphibious.
    Amphitryon. In Greek mythology, a Mycenaen king whose wife, Alcmene, gave birth to Hercules after Zeus tricked her into sleeping with him.
    ampoule/ampule/ampul. All three spellings are accepted, but ampoule is generally preferred.
    Amtrak for the passenger railroad corporation. The company’s formal designation is the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, but this is almost never used, even on first reference.
    Amundsen, Roald. (1872-1928) Norwegian explorer, first person to reach the South Pole (1911).
    Anacreon. (c. 563–c. 478 BC ) Greek poet.
    anathema, pl.
anathemas.
    Anaxagoras. (c. 500–428 BC ) Greek philosopher.
    Anaximander. (c. 611–c. 547 BC ) Greek philosopher.
    ancien régime. (Fr.) “The old order.”
    ancillary.
    Andalusia. Region of Spain. In Spanish, Andalucía.
    Andersen, Hans Christian. (1805-1875) Not
-son.
Danish writer of children’s tales.
    Anderson, Marian. (1897-1993) Celebrated contralto.
    Andhra Pradesh. Indian state.
    Andorra is a principality; the capital is Andorra la Vella.
    Andrejewski, Jerzy. (1909-1983) Polish novelist.
    Andretti, Mario.