I ran across this particular confusion when reading a Digital Book World post and the author used “low and behold these are the kids”. I wasn’t sure if cattle were mooing, if the reader was supposed to moo or if the kids were goats . . .?
This one is really simple to get right. Almost always, a lo will be biblical and usually it’s an angel proclaiming something. It’s not hard to figure out. Think behold, hey, or look as in Lo, the burning bush.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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Lo | Low |
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Part of Grammar: | |
Abbreviation; Interjection | Adjective 1; Adverb 1; Noun 1, 2; Verb 2, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: lows Third person present verb: lows |
Abbreviation: Liaison officer Interjection: |
Adjective: Of less than average height from top to bottom or to the top from the ground 1 Below average in amount, extent, or intensity Small Ranking below other people or things in importance or class Depressed or lacking in energy Adverb: Quietly At or to a low pitch Noun: A particularly bad or difficult moment [Informal] A state of depression or low spirits An area of low atmospheric pressure
A sound made by cattle 2
Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive: |
Examples: | |
Abbreviation: Get the LO to see to that. He’s the school’s police LO. She acted as the LO between the FBI and the police department. Interjection: Lo and behold . . . And lo, the angels sing. |
Adjective: The table was too low to use as a dining table. They are surviving on a low income. Be sure to cook it over low heat. Ammunition’s getting low, sarge. Third world countries have a lower standard of living. Graffiti is considered a low art form. He has a low cunning. I was feeling low. Adverb: We were talking low so we wouldn’t wake Dean. The sopranos have to sing rather low. Noun: The highs and lows of an actor’s life. In the distance, we heard the low of a distant herd. “The lowing of a cow or the voice of a ploughman could scarcely be heard from Cashel to the farthest point of Kerry” (How). “At evening, the distant lowing of some cow in the horizon brought a sense of peace to the farmhouse” (How). Verb, intransitive: “In the fields the other side of the bridge, cattle were lowing” (Haines). The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes. Verb, transitive: Cows lowing at the bull indicate a readiness to mate. |
Derivatives: | |
Adjective: low-alcohol, low-altitude, low-born, low-budget, low-cal, low-carb, low-carbon, low-class, low-cost, low-cut, low-density, low-down, low-fi, low-flying, low-grade, low-heeled, low-impact, low-income, lowish, low-key, low-level, low-lying, low-maintenance, low-minded, low-necked, low-nicotine, lowball, lowbrow, lowdown, lower, lowest, well, you get the idea . . . Adverb: lower, lowest Noun: low-angle shot, low-fi, low-hanging fruit, low-loader, lowball, lowbrow, lowdown, lowing, lowlife, lowlight, lowness, overlowness Verb, transitive: lowball |
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History of the Word: | |
From Middle English from the Old English, lā, before the 12th century. |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Lo versus Low
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Apple Dictionary.com
Haines, Pamela. The Golden Lion. Scribner, 2001. Web. n.d. <https://amzn.to/3S2w6du>.
“How to Use Lowing in a Sentence.” Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/lowing#PFUw7L4tIVtIzMAQ.99>.
Merriam-Webster: lo
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Death and the Gravedigger by Carlos Schwabe is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 15 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie