I actually did read about a conversation about conservation, and it struck me that it could be a word confusion.
A conservation is all about preservation, saving something.
A conversation is all about talking.
And all it takes to be confused between the two is the transposition of two little letters.
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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| Conservation | Conversation |
|---|---|
 — |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Morpheme: conserve
Noun Plural: conservation |
Morpheme: converse
Noun Plural: conversations |
| Noun: Prevention of wasteful use of a resource
[Physics] The principle by which the total value of a physical quantity or parameter (such as energy, mass, linear, or angular momentum) remains constant in a system which is not subject to external influence |
Noun: A talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: They launched a week-long campaign to promote energy conservation. The dodo is an example of a failure of nature conservation. The artworks in the collection need indexing and conservation. “Conservation laws . . . make it possible to predict the macroscopic behavior of a system without having to consider the microscopic details of the course of a physical process or chemical reaction” (Editors). It’s all about conservation of mass. |
Noun: She picked up the phone and held a conversation in French. The two men were deep in conversation. We need to have a conversation about this issue. We sat together, trying somewhat stiltedly to make conversation. When we say that it’s our way or the highway, it’s a bit of a conversation-stopper. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: conservational Noun: conservancy, conserving, conservationist Verb: conserve, conserving |
Adjective: conversational Adverb: conversationally Noun: conversation-stopper, converser, conversationalist |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English from the Latin conservatio(n-), from the verb conservare meaning to preserve, from con- (together) + servare (to keep). | Middle English, in the sense living among, familiarity, intimacy, via the Old French from the Latin conversatio(n-), from the verb conversari meaning keep company (with), from con- (with) + versare, a frequentative of vertere meaning to turn.
The current sense of the verb dates from the early 17th century. |
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!
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Resources for Conservation versus Conversation
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Apple Dictionary.com
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Conservation Law.” Encyclopedia Britannica. n.d. Accessed 10 Oct 2024. <https://www.britannica.com/science/conservation-law>. Entry.
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