“Check the inspiration date . . .”
Um, ya think this means the writer wants to know when someone was influenced, roused, moved to create something?
Or do ye reckon that they want to know if that can of food is not good to eat?
I can tell you that, in the context this sentence was used, the writer was talking about a can of cat food.
I don’t know if the cat (or the owner) was inspired by that can. But I do think they were more worried that the can of food had expired and was no longer healthy for the cat to eat.
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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| Expiration | Inspiration |
|---|---|
 |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Morpheme: expire
Noun Plural: expiration |
Morpheme: inspire
Noun Plural: inspiration |
| Noun: [North American English] The ending of the fixed period for which a contract is valid
[Technical] Exhalation of breath [Archaic] Death
|
Noun: The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative
The drawing in of breath
|
| Examples: | |
| Noun: The expiration of our lease is in two months. These cans have an expiration date of three years. At the end of expiration there is still a slight inflation in the lungs. Everyone has an expiration date, we just don’t know when. We were there at his last expiration. |
Noun: Helen had one of her flashes of inspiration. The history of fashion has provided designers with invaluable inspiration. It was a rare moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display. He is an inspiration to everyone. Then I had an inspiration. “Divine inspiration guarantees the truthfulness of God’s Word but not the accuracy of our interpretation” (Inspiration). “Warfield’s illustration reminds us that God’s employment of human writers extends beyond the immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but includes every factor of the human contribution, including character, personality, experience, and long preparation” (Phillips). Crackling sounds are heard in the stethoscope on inspiration. Hope arose in us when we heard an inspiration from the bed. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: expiratory Noun: expiry Verb: expire |
Adjective: inspirational Adverb: inspirationally Noun: inspirer, reinspiration |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English denoting a vapor or exhalation, from the Latin |
Middle English, in the sense divine guidance, via the Old French from the late Latin inspiratio(n-), from the verb inspirare, from the Middle English enspire, from the Old French inspirer, from the Latin inspirare meaning breathe or blow into from in- (into) + spirare (breathe.
The word was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense impart a truth or idea to someone. |
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, Building Your Website, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Marketing Help & Resources, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, and/or Writing Ideas and Resources.
Resources for Expiration versus Inspiration
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Apple Dictionary.com
“Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible.” Moody Bible Institute. n.d. Accessed 4 Aug 2024. <https://www.moodybible.org/beliefs/inspiration-and-inerrancy-bible/>.
Phillips, Richard. “Scripture as a Divine and Human Book.” The Gospel Coalition. n.d. Accessed 4 Aug 2024. <https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/scripture-as-a-divine-and-human-book/>. Essay.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Muscles Involved in Forceful Breathing In and Out is Cruithne9‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
