I suspect the majority of confusions over statue versus statute are simply one’s eyes passing over it. However, any decent proofreader should’ve caught it.
And just in case, remember that a statue is art while a statute is about the law…one of which is likely to be about it being illegal to deface a statue.
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 noir for you from either end.
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| Statue | Statute |
|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: statue; Lexico.com: statue and statute | |
Anna Pavlova Statue by Acabashi is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Rinker 2010:03:15 07:51:12 by Tracie Hall is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. — “Shepard’s Federal Statute Citations” in the Harry and Diane Rinker Law Library at Chapman University School of Law. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: statues |
Noun
Plural: statutes |
| A carved or cast figure of a person or animal, especially one that is life-size or larger
A three-dimensional work of art, as a representational or abstract form, carved in stone or wood, molded in a plastic material, cast in bronze, or the like |
A written law passed by a legislative body
|
| Examples: | |
| The Statue of Liberty is a national icon.
Practically every store now stocks figurines and statues of the cheerful young god. On the upper shelf is the figure of Hercules after the statue in the Palazzo Farnese. These are occupied by casts of statues found in other parts of the town. |
It was a clear violation of the hate crimes statute.
The tax is not specifically disallowed by statute. The appointment will be subject to the statutes of the university. “I incline my heart to perform Thy statutes,” is a verse that occurs in several forms in the psalm. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: statued, statuesque Adverb: statuesquely Noun: statuesqueness, statuette |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English, via the Old French, from the Latin statua, from stare meaning to stand. | Middle English, from the Old French statut, which is from the late Latin statutum, as a neuter past participle of the Latin statuere meaning set up, which is from status meaning standing. |
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 by exploring the index. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, and/or the Properly Punctuated.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Emperor Charlemagne by Ben Kerckx is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.
