Word Confusion: Anarchism vs Anarchy vs Anomaly

Posted April 9, 2018 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
23 June 2023

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Anarchism is the theory behind the state of anarchy, which is carried out by anarchists. When a country is experiencing anarchy, the people’s way of life — shopping, going to work, socializing, etc. — is totally disrupted, becoming an anomaly, running counter to what one would normally expect in that culture.

Kind of like the school shootings that are happening more and more often these days. An anomaly to what kids used to expect school would be like . . . at least in my day, when we got in trouble for chewing gum or smoking in the bathroom.

On a lighter note, an anomaly could be not getting the presents or cake one expects on one’s birthday. Ahem.

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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Anarchism	Anarchy	Anomaly
No Borders, No Nations, No Flags, No Patriots (borrowed by A Syn, a.k.a., Anarcho Syndicalism) is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. — I definitely get a feeling of anarchism from all these phrases beginning with “fuck”.	Anarchist Logo is the SVG version by Stanisław Skowron and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.	No! No! Not Snow But White Sand on All Beaches of the West Coast of Florida is by Richard Mc Neil under the CC BY 3.0 license, Texel – De Dennen – Winterview South on Pine Trees after a Snow Blizzard is Txllxt TxllxT’s own work under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, and Snow on Second Street is User:AnnaKucsma’s own work under the CC BY-SA 2.5 license. All three are via Wikimedia Commons. — Snow falling on Florida beaches is an anomaly, ahem, created by this derivative image of the work of three others.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: anarchism	Noun Plural: anarchy	Noun Plural: anomalies
[Political theory] Belief that all existing governmental authority should be abolished and replaced by free cooperation among individuals A doctrine advocating the abolition of government Anarchists as a political force or movement The use of violence to undermine government	The name of a state or condition of disorder during which government is absent or helpless Disorder or lawlessness of any sort Absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal Any state of chaos or lawlessness	Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected [Astronomy] The angular distance of a planet or satellite from its last perihelion or perigee
Examples:
The ruling-class fears of international anarchism arose during the 1890s when labor unions began to rise. During the 20th century, anarchism, like communism, was seen as a new system of governance that could potentially replace capitalism and create a more utopian society. When you start thinking the government is both harmful AND unnecessary, that’s anarchism. Anarchism comes in a variety of flavors: political, religious, theoretical, and applied.	He must ensure public order in a country threatened with anarchy. Most of Africa is in a state of anarchy. “Laws that are not carried into effect, authorities without force and despised, crime unpunished, property attacked, the safety of the individual violated, the morality of the people corrupted, no constitution, no government, no justice, these are the features of anarchy.” – Jacques-Pierre Brissot Anarchy is rule by no one or non-rule.	There are a number of anomalies in the present system. One is apparent anomaly that those who produced the wealth were the poorest. The position abounds in anomaly. It was a legal anomaly. The true anomaly is the actual angle that a satellite has moved since last passing perigee (or perihelion). The mean anomaly is equal to the true anomaly in two instances, if of course, it moves at a constant speed in an orbit on a circle of the same area: 1) when the satellite moves at a constant speed in the same area as the actual orbital ellipse, and 2) if it’s an elliptical orbit, it’s equal at perigee and apogee only (Physics Department, NCSU).
Derivatives:
Adjective: anarchist, anarchistic Noun: anarchist, proanarchism, semianarchism	Adjective: anarchist, anarchistic Noun: anarchist	Adjective : anomalous Adverb: anomalously Noun: anomalousness
History of the Word:
Mid-17th century from the Greek anarkhos (without a chief) + -ism; it was later influenced by the French anarchisme.	Mid-16th century, via the medieval Latin from the Greek anarkhia, from anarkhos, from an- (without) + arkhos (chief, ruler).	Late 16th century, via the Latin from the Greek anōmalia, from anōmalos.

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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!

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