[net.nlang] words which mean their opposites

mmt (01/06/83)

So far, through the net or through friends, I have come up with
four words, which include five polar pairs of meanings:
	cleave -- to or apart
	fast -- stuck fast or run fast
	topped -- a building that is topped has a top put on, but
                   a tree or a person that is topped has the top (head)
                   taken off
	overlook -- (1) look beyond, not see or notice 
			or survey from above, examine.
                    (2) supervise workers
                         or cast the evil eye, bewitch
The second pair of meanings for overlook might be considered dubious,
because it is not always clear that the supervisor of workers is trying
to get them performing well, whereas the bewitcher is trying to get
them to perform badly; however, the OED says that "overlook" is the
most commonly used word for casting the evil eye, so I think we should
count it, if only because of the rarity of having two completely different
polar opposit meanings from one word.
		Martin Taylor

ark (01/07/83)

This isn't quite in this category, but what about

	bimonthly

which means either every other month or twice a month, depending.

as (01/07/83)

	Bimonthly definitely isn't in the category of words that have two
opposite meanings.  It always means once every two months; only semimonthly
means twice a month.  The following usage note is quoted from the American
Heritage Dictionary:
	"Bimonthly, in careful usage, means 'once in two months;'
biweekly, 'once in two weeks;' and biyearly, 'once in two years.'  They are not
interchangeable with semimonthly, semiweekly, and semiyearly, which refer to
occurrence twice a month, week, and year, respectively.  A similar distinction
exists between biennial (once in two years, lasting two years) and biannual
(twice a year)."
				Abe Shliferstein, Bell Labs, Holmdel.

wsp (01/08/83)

I'd love to flame on this one with all due righteousness but then again...

semi-monthly means every half-month or two weeks

bimonthly means only every two months


But then errors made often enough become the standard.

Peter Benson

ark (01/08/83)

>From Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary:

	bimonthly (adj) 1: occuring every two months
		2: occuring twice a month: semimonthly

When I worked at Columbia University, people on the bimonthly payroll
were paid twice a month.  There was no semimonthly payroll.

gh (01/09/83)

Abe Shliferstein's comment, that "bimonthly" is not interchangeable with
"semimonthly", is a nice theory, but, alas, not in keeping with modern usage.
My Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (one of those nasty ones that that just
records usage, no matter how bad, without comment), lists both meanings for
the word.  Even the usage note Abe quotes from the American Heritage Dictionary
contains the hedge "in careful usage", unusual for the AHD's notes.  The sad
fact is that to the confusion of all, 99% of usage is not "careful", and the
other 1% is not flagged as careful and so is still ambiguous.