TIL the word “overmorrow” is an archaic word that means “the day after tomorrow” and it should not be archaic.

Follow

@Ateriath I enjoy languages and the different ways of expressing things. It's interesting how modern English has forgotten how to say certain things. We replace them with long clumsy substitutes. Overmorrow is an example: "the day after tomorrow". Sure, let's use seven syllables instead of four.

In grade school back in the middle of the last century, I remember "next to the last" and "next to the next to the last". What??? There's a word for that: penultimate. Nobody uses it. We even have a word for the latter: antepenultimate. Nobody's even heard of that one.

Years later I became fluent in Spanish and happily discovered that in Spanish, those words are used: penultimo and antepenultimo. Whoo hoo.

@shuttersparks @Ateriath I still use both penultimate and antepenultimate but I’m old 🤣

@Parami @shuttersparks @Ateriath Of course, in linguistics, we use penultimate, antepenultimate, and preantepenultimate technically.

@Parami @Ateriath In the U.S. most are unfamiliar with any of those words and certainly don't use them.

Sign in to participate in the conversation
CleverLibre Social

CleverLibre Social is an inclusive social instance for open discussion, learning, and community.
All cultures welcome.
Hate speech and harassment strictly forbidden.