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Jerry Friedman

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Aug 31, 2012, 1:31:20 PM8/31/12
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What word has contributed a silent letter to two unrelated English
words?

(Or "Which word"?)

--
Jerry Friedman, T. O. Panelist

James Hogg

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Aug 31, 2012, 3:18:26 PM8/31/12
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Jerry Friedman wrote:
> What word has contributed a silent letter to two unrelated English
> words?

In Middle English the word "scissors" was spelt "sisours" or "cysowres";
it comes from Old French "cisoires" (from Late Latin *cisoria). The
unrelated Germanic word "scythe" was "sith" in Middle English.

If these are the words you mean, then we have to find the word that
contributed the silent letter. That could be Latin "scissor" (cutter).

--
James

Andrew B

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Aug 31, 2012, 5:33:25 PM8/31/12
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On 31/08/2012 18:31, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> What word has contributed a silent letter to two unrelated English
> words?
>
> (Or "Which word"?)

"isle", for influencing the spelling of "island"?

Andrew B

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Aug 31, 2012, 5:36:04 PM8/31/12
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Oh, and of "aisle". (I was thinking "isle" and "island" were the two
unrelated words).

James Hogg

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Aug 31, 2012, 5:36:27 PM8/31/12
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Unlike my suggestion, your answer fits the meaning of the slug. The
other word is "aisle" (from Latin "ala").

--
James

Jerry Friedman

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Aug 31, 2012, 6:52:04 PM8/31/12
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Thank you!

--
Jerry Friedman. T. O. Panelist
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