Word Confusion: Trustee versus Trusty

Posted November 24, 2016 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
7 Jan 2023


Pinterest pin for Trustee versus Trusty

Yeahhh, anyone styling him- or herself as a trusty will not be handling my money.

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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Trustee Trusty

portrait of Joseph Battell, a college trustee

Joseph Battell, Middlebury College Trustee, uploaded by Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo of June Lockhart, Jon Provost, Hugh Reilly, and Lassie

Lassie 1960 Cast Photo by CBS Television (eBay itemphoto frontphoto back) is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

—

The trusty Lassie saved someone every episode.
Part of Grammar:
Noun 1
Verb, transitive 2

Plural for the noun: trustees

Third person present verb: trustees
Past tense or past participle: trusteed
Present participle: trusteeing

Adjective 1, 2; Noun 3

Plural: trusties

Noun:
[Law] An individual person or member of a board given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified 1

  • A state made responsible for the government of a trust territory by the United Nations

A member of a board that manages the affairs and administers the funds of an institution or organization

Verb, transitive:
To place in the hands of a trustee or trustees 2

[New England] To garnish

Adjective:
[Archaic or humorous] Having served for a long time and regarded as reliable or faithful 1

Meriting trust 2

  • Trustworthy

Noun:
A prisoner who is given special privileges or responsibilities in return for good behavior 3

Examples:
Noun:
Ms Porter and Mr Davidson are the trustees under Mrs Dane’s will.

A deed of trust involves three parties: a lender, a borrower, and a trustee.

“Irving H. Picard, Securities Investor Protection Act Trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, today filed a motion in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York . . .” (Madoff).

A trustee acts as the legal owner of trust assets, and is responsible for handling any of the assets held in trust, tax filings for the trust, and distributing the assets according to the terms of the trust (Executor).

Verb, transitive:
Mr. Stuart was trusteeing the daughter’s share.

In connection with trusteeing the funds, the trustee was given an opportunity to invest in a sure thing.

“Vermont has a trustee process against wages that is sent to your employer who is required to withhold a certain amount of money from your paycheck and then send this money directly to your creditor” (Repa).

Adjective:
It was just him and his trusty Corona typewriter.

As long as they had their trusty steeds, they could do anything, go anywhere.

Jenny knew she’d need her trusty heels, if she would have to stand all day.

We should never have traded in our trusty old VW Bug.

Noun:
It took him three years before he finally became a trusty.

Jenkins is the book trusty.

It was the prison trusty who stabbed him!

Derivatives:
Noun: trusteeship Adjective: trustier, trustiest
Adverb: trustily
Noun: trustiness
History of the Word:
  1. 1640-50, person who is responsible for the property of another.
  2. 1640s, from the verb, trust, + -ee.
  1. Early 13th century, from trusting, which is from trust + -y.
  2. From the early 14th century, it’s meaning as reliable, to be counted on evolved.
  3. 1855, a prisoner granted special privileges as reward for good conduct.

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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.

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Resources for Trustee versus Trusty

Apple Dictionary.com

“Executor & Trustee Guidelines.” Fidelity. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://www.fidelity.com/estate-planning-inheritance/inheritance/executor-trustee>.

Statements and Press Releases. The Madoff Recovery Initiative. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.madofftrustee.com/statements-07.html>.

Repa, Barbara Kate. Updated By Amy Loftsgordon, Attorney.
“If Your Wages Are Garnished: Your Rights.” Nolo. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/vermont-wage-garnishment-law-trustee-process-against-service.html>. Article.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

Lone Ranger and Tonto with Silver 1960 by ABC Television (eBayfrontback) is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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