I dunno, but when a writer states that “the censor was burning”, my mind does not leap to incense and censers.
It does, however, make me think of Hitler, Savonarola, and burning books; of witch trials; movie censorship; parents screaming that Harry Potter is evil . . . It does not make me think incense.
A censer emits incense and is usually used in a Catholic High Mass.
A censor thinks they can tell you what to read, see, etc.
A sensor detects something and responds to it.
Hmmm, maybe I need to turn that editor sensor off in my brain . . .
Exploring Later . . .
You may also want to explore “Censor versus Censure“.
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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| Censer | Censor | Sensor |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Noun
Plural: censers A.k.a., thurible |
Noun; Verb, transitive Plural for the noun: censors Third person present verb: censors |
Noun
Plural: sensors |
| Incense dish
A container in which incense, herbs, chemicals, wood, etc., are typically burned during a religious ceremony |
Bad people who fear knowledge
Noun: An official who examines material that is about to be released, such as books, movies, news, and art, and suppresses any parts that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security
[In ancient Rome] Either of two magistrates who held censuses, awarded public contracts, and supervised manners and morals Any person who supervises the manners or morality of others An adverse critic
Verb, transitive: To delete (a word or passage of text) in one’s capacity as a censor |
A device which detects . . .
. . . or measures a physical property and records, indicates, or otherwise responds to it A mechanical device sensitive to light, temperature, radiation level, or the like, that transmits a signal to a measuring or control instrument A sense organ |
| Examples: | ||
| The altar boys swing their censers in unison at the start of the High Mass.
The air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer. They were met by a deacon with a censer and by a servant who passed out on tiptoe without heeding them. After Mass, he put the censer away. A welcome cup of tea, wafting a sense of content as though a censer of peace. |
Noun: Government censors deleted all references to the protest. The censor has cut so many scenes that we’ll have to re-shoot. “In order to get its wish across to the conscious mind and avoid censorship by the superego, the subconscious uses what Freud called transformations” (Freud). The censors have raised taxes again this year. We could use a Chinese-style censor who is supposed to criticize government officials. The censor revoked Marcus Aurelius’ right to vote for the next ten years. Verb, transitive: Between 1915 and 1952, any state, city, town, or village could censor films, banning them from being shown. In World War I, censors censored the letters of the soldiers writing home. |
I love those sensors that detect my approach at the store and automatically open the doors.
Sensors for adjusting room temperature for heat and air conditioning are taken for granted. Burglar alarms use a variety of sensors to protect a location. A sweat sensor is a noninvasive medical procedure. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: anticensorial, censorable, censorial, censorian, censorious, noncensored, uncensorable, uncensored Adverb: censoriously Noun: censoriousness, censorship Verb, transitive: overcensor, precensor, recensor |
Adjective: sensorial, sensorimotor, sensory Adverb: sensorially, sensorily Noun: sensoria, sensorium |
|
| History of the Word: | ||
| Middle English from the Old French censier, from encensier, from encensmeaning the product that is burned. | Mid-16th century, as an official from the Latin censere meaning assess. | 1947, from an 1865 adjective, as a shortened form of sensory. |
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 Censer vs Censor vs Sensor
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: censor, sensor
“Freud on Dreams.” ScepticThomas.com©. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.scepticthomas.com/nightmares/nightmare5.htm>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Burning Incense, <https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=7318&picture=burning-incense>, by Peter Griffin via PublicDomainPictures.net was resized to fit the space. The Witch Wart Magic Woman by Gellinger was resized and her skirt and cane were added onto and Sunbeam by othebo was resized, the beam narrowed, and the background removed in Photoshop. These last two are via Pixaby. All three images are under the CC0 license.
Revised as of 7 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie