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It was that suiter that caught me up in this word confusion suiter vs suitor — a pair of heterographs. The story was a contemporary one. The guy was on bended knee, proposing, but he wasn’t wearing a suit.
I had thought . . . typo? It could have been . . .
I will confess I’d never heard (or read) of a garment bag being referred to as a suiter, but hey, live and learn.
Now a suitor? Yep, I’ve heard and read of those. I’ve even had a few of my own, proposing marriage.
Exploring Later . . .
You may want to explore “Suit vs Suite vs Sweet“.
Word Confusions s. . .
. . . 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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| Suiter | Suitor |
|---|---|
Gucci Garment Bag courtesy of the Housing Works Thrift Shops is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — It’s a two-suiter. |
The Suitor by Vittorio Reggianini is under the Public Domain Mark 1.0 license courtesy of Dorotheum, via Picryl. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: suiters |
Noun
Plural: suitors |
| A piece of luggage for carrying suits and dresses (usually used in combination) | A man who pursues a relationship with a particular woman, with a view to marriage
[Law] A petitioner or plaintiff
|
| Examples: | |
| “I opened my two-suiter and took out my toilet kit and went to the bathroom” (Graham).
“A comfort-loving dress-suiter like himself, playing Old Sleuth, when he ought to be home and in bed!” (MacGrath). Can you get my suiter for me, Marge? |
Here’s come another suitor for Mary Beth.
Helen has three suitors pursuing her. “With a market capitalization of $4 billion, a purchase wouldn’t necessarily empty the wallet of a tech-giant suitor” (Hackett). “A handful of other societies are also under intense scrutiny and could be forced into finding a suitor, according to insiders” (Marlow). “Another ruined suitor, who periodically appears from Shropshire and breaks out into efforts to address the Chancellor at the close of the day’s business and who can by no means be made to understand that the Chancellor is legally ignorant of his existence after making it desolate for a quarter of a century, plants himself in a good place and keeps an eye on the judge, ready to call out “My Lord!” in a voice of sonorous complaint on the instant of his rising” (Dickens, ch 1). |
| History of the Word: | |
| The earliest known use of the noun suiter is in the late 1500s. | Middle English, 1250–1300, s(e)utor, suitour from the Anglo-French and the Latin secūtor, equivalent to secū-, a variant stem of sequī (to follow) + -tor (-tor). |
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 Suiter versus Suitor
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
Dickens Charles. Bleak House. Originally published 1852. Delhi Open Books, 2020. <https://amzn.to/48G1qGm>. Ebook.
Dictionary.com: suiter, suitor
Graham, Roger Phillips. The Gallery. The Project Gutenberg., 2008. <https://www.gutenberg.org/files/26936/26936-h/26936-h.htm>. Ebook. Free on Kindle.
Hackett, Robert. “5 Software Acquisitions Salesforce’s Slack Deal Could Spur.” Fortune. 4 Dec 2020. Accessed 3 Mar 2024. <https://fortune.com/2020/12/04/salesforce-slack-deal-acquisitions-airtable-asana-box-notarize-symphony/>.
MacGrath, Harold. The Drums of Jeopardy. Originally published 1920. 2012. <https://amzn.to/3IibomB>. Ebook.
Marlow, Ben and Iain Dey. “Building Society in Rescue Talks.” The Sunday Times. 17 May 2009. Accessed 3 Mar 2024. <https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/building-society-in-rescue-talks-rws33lwb879>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
The North Face – Shuttle Duffel (NM81600 / Model Year 2016) by MIKI Yoshihito and Two Businessman Shaking Hands While Standing on Calculator by Marco Verch. Both are under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
