Revised as of
3 Jan 2023
I ran across submerge versus submerse when I was trying to find full sheets of sticky paper. This particular one claimed it could be used outdoors in the wet but it couldn’t be submersed. It took me aback, and I thought . . . hmmm, shouldn’t this be submerged? And a word confusion was born . . .
I had to laugh when I saw that the verb definition for submerse was to submerge. Yep, I’d say that there isn’t a difference between the verb forms, well, other than that submerge is both an intransitive and transitive verb while submerse is only a transitive verb.
Then there’s the adjectival form of submerse . . . which does not apply to submerge. Instead, as an adjective, submerse describes where a particular type of plant grows.
Essentially, be careful to describe plants that grow underwater as submerged plants, otherwise, go wild, baby! You can submerge or submerse with abandon!
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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| Submerge | Submerse |
|---|---|
Testing for HEED, 8 July 2005, San Diego, California, by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Scott Taylor, U.S. Navy, is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Two students submerge and breathe from SCUBA tanks as part of a familiarization course in the use of the Helicopter Emergency Escape Device at Aviation Survival Training Center. |
Hottonia palustris submerse by Christian Fischer is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Submersed water-violets in early spring. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, intransitive & transitive
Third person present verb: submerges |
Adjective; Verb, transitive
Third person present verb: submerses |
| Verb, intransitive: Descend below the surface of an area of water
To disappear as if by going under water Verb, transitive:
Bury
To hide from view
|
Adjective: [Botany; usually submerged] Denoting or characteristic of a plant growing entirely underwater Verb, transitive: |
| Examples: | |
| Verb, intransitive: The U-boat had had time to submerge. The submarine submerged quickly to avoid detection. Just as I shot at it, the crocodile submerged again. Verb, transitive: The tensions submerged earlier in the campaign now came to the fore. His aspirations were submerged by the necessity of making a living. She submerged the pieces of chicken in the broth. The flood submerged the road. “The few public tributes to Nat Turner in the mainstream black press of the late 1950s submerged the armed rebellion within a narrative of nonviolent protest” (French). |
Adjective: “Submerged plants are rooted plants with flaccid or limp stems and most of their vegetative mass is below the water surface, although small portions may stick above the water” (Texas A&M). Completely submerged water plants like seagrasses and pondweed (Elodea canadensis) lack stomata. Aerenchyma is the most common example of a submersed aquatic plant. Verb, transitive: If it’s a choice between Sullivan getting his way and submersing my kids in this sort of culture, and Sullivan leaving, then I will bid Sullivan goodbye. Our job is to improvise the fifth act by submersing ourselves in the first four acts. In his second term, of course, Houdini submersed himself in a padlocked iron cage a mile deep in boiling water and left his fate to a gaggle of witches, a silly young intern, and Inspector Javerts. There’s also an entity known as trench foot, which actually is caused by submersing your feet, literally, in cold water for long periods of time. I reached over and switched off the light, submersing the room in complete darkness. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: submergible Noun: submergence, submergement, submerging |
Adjective: submersible Noun: submersing, submersion |
| History of the Word: | |
| Early 17th century, from the Latin submergere, from sub- (under) + mergere (to dip). | Late Middle English from the Latin submers- meaning plunged below, from the verb submergere (see above). |
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 Submerge versus Submerse
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: submerge
The Free Dictionary: submerge
French, Scot. The Rebellious Slave: Nat Turner in American Memory. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004. p 226.
Lexico.com: submerse
“Submerged Plants.” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. n.d. Web. 20 October 2019. <https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/category-submerge-plants/>
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Submerging, Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral, Florida, by Captain Cathleen Snow is in the public domain courtesy of U.S. Air Force Reserve Command.
