by Bill Bryson
Le Pen, Jean-Marie. (1928–) French politician, founder of National Front.
leprechaun. Not lepra-.
lèse-majesté. (Fr.) “Wounded majesty” treason or a similar offense or insolence toward anyone to whom deference is due. The spelling is sometimes anglicized to lese-majesty.
Lesotho. Small, landlocked African kingdom; formerly called Basutoland. Capital Maseru. The people of Lesotho are known as Basotho (sing. and pl.).
less, fewer. The simplest rule is to use less with singular nouns (less money, less sugar) and fewer with plural ones (fewer houses, fewer cars).
Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de. (1805–1894) French engineer closely associated with the Suez Canal. On second reference, de Lesseps.
L’Étoile. Area around Arc de Triomphe, Paris.
Letzeburgesch. German dialect spoken in Luxembourg.
level, mark. These are often pointlessly employed. “Stock prices once again fell below the 12,000 level” says no more than “…fell below 12,000.”
Leverrier, Urbain Jean Joseph. (1811–1877) French astronomer.
Lévesque, René. (1922–1988) Canadian politician, leader of Parti Québécois.
Levi’s. Jeans produced by Levi Strauss.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude. (1908–) French anthropologist.
Leviticus. Book of the Old Testament.
Levittown, New York and Pennsylvania.
Lewis, Meriwether. (1774–1809) Not -whether. The coleader (with William Clark) of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804–1806.
Lewis, Wyndham. (1884–1957) English writer and artist.
Leyden jar, but the Dutch town is now usually spelled Leiden.
Lhasa for the capital of Tibet, Lhasa apso for the breed of dog.
liable, likely, apt, prone. All four indicate probability, but they carry distinctions worth noting. Apt is better reserved for general probabilities (“It is apt to snow in January”) and likely for specific ones (“It is likely to snow today”). Liable and prone are better used to indicate a probability arising as a regrettable consequence: “People who drink too much are prone to heart disease” “If you don’t pay your taxes, you are liable to get caught.” A separate but common problem with likely is seen in this sentence: “Cable experts say the agreement will likely strengthen the company’s position.” Used as an adverb, likely needs to be accompanied by one of four helping words: very, quite, more, or most. Thus the sentence should say “will very likely strengthen.”
liaison.
libel, slander. Although nearly all dictionaries define libel merely as a statement that defames or damages a person’s reputation, it is worth remembering that it must do so unreasonably or inaccurately. It is the wrongness of a contention that makes it libelous, not the harshness or hostility of it. Although a libel usually takes the form of a written utterance, drawings and other visual depictions may also be libelous. In all cases, a libel must be published (the word comes from the Latin libellus, meaning “little book”). When defamatory remarks are merely spoken, the term to describe the act is slander.
liberté, égalité, fraternité. (Fr.) “Liberty, equality, fraternity” slogan of the French Revolution.
Liberty, Statue of, was emplaced in 1886. It is officially known as Liberty Enlightening the World. Its designer was Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. Liberty Island was formerly called Bedloes Island.
Libeskind, Daniel. (1946–) Polish-born American architect.
lichee (or litchi or lychee). Chinese tree and its fruit.
Lichfield for the town and cathedral in Staffordshire, England, and for the photographer Patrick Lichfield (1939–2005), who was formally the Earl of Lichfield, Viscount Anson, and Baron Sober-ton.
Lichtenstein, Roy. (1923–1997) American artist.
lickerish. Greedy, lascivious.
licorice.
Liebfraumilch. White Rhine wine; in German it is Liebfrauenmilch.
Liechtenstein. Diminutive Alpine principality; capital Vaduz.
lifelong. Though the term needn’t be taken absolutely literally in most contexts, it should have some sense of at least approximately covering the whole of the subject’s existence, so that one might be called a lifelong Yankees fan, but not, say, a lifelong drug addict.
lighted, lit. Either is correct. Lighted, however, is more usual when the word is being used as an adjective (“a lighted torch”).
lightning, not lightening.
light-year. The distance that light travels through empty space in one year (about 5.88 trillion miles; 9.46 trillion kilometers).
likable.
like, as. Problems often arise in choosing between like and as. On the face of it, the rule is simple: as and as if are always followed by a verb; like never is. Therefore you would say, “He plays tennis like an expert” (no verb after like) but “He plays tennis as if his life depended on it” (verb depended). Except in the most formal writing, however, only a stickler would object to formations such as “She looks just like her mother used to” and “He can’t dance like he used to.” There is also one apparent inconsistency in the rule in that like may be used when it comes between “feel” and an “-ing” verb: “He felt like walking” “I feel like going abroad this year.”
likelihood.
Lilienthal, Otto. (1849–1896) German inventor.
Lilliput (cap.) for the fictional place, but lilliputian (no cap.) for something small.
Lilly, Eli. Not -ey. U.S. pharmaceuticals company.
Lilongwe. Capital of Malawi.
lily, pl. lilies.
Limassol, Cyprus.
Limbourg, Limburg. The first is a province of Belgium; the second a province of the Netherlands. The cheese is Limburg or Limburger.
limited means constrained, set within bounds. Unless there is the idea of a limit being imposed, the word is better avoided. It is reasonable enough to say that a special offer is available for a limited time, but to write that “there was a limited demand for tickets” is absurd when what is meant is that fewer customers than had been hoped showed up.
linage, lineage. The first refers to lines of text; the second to ancestry.
linchpin, but lynch law, lynch gang.
Linnaean for the system of naming plants and animals by genus and species names (e.g., Homo sapiens). Some dictionaries also accept Linnean as an alternative spelling. The term comes from the Swedish botanist Carl Linné (1707–1778), who chose to Latinize his name as Carolus Linnaeus. For the rules of application concerning the Linnaean system, see GENUS, SPECIES.
lion’s share is a cliché. Why not say “most” or “the larger part” or whatever is appropriate?
Lipari Islands. Group of islands off Sicily, also known as the Aeolian Islands.
Lipchitz, Jacques. (1891–1973) French sculptor.
Lippmann, Walter. (1889–1974) American journalist.
liquefy, liquefaction.
liqueur.
lira. Currency of Turkey; pl. liras. It has not been the currency of Italy since 2002, but for historical purposes it may be worth noting that the Italian plural was lire.
lissome.
literally means actually, not figuratively. If you don’t wish to be taken literally, don’t use literally.
literati. Literary elite; learned people. But littérateur for a person of letters.
Livni, Tzipora. (1958–) Deputy prime minister of Israel (2006–).
Ljubicic, Ivan. (1979–) Croatian tennis player.
Ljubljana. Capital of Slovenia; pronounced loob-lee-yah'-na.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Village in Wales, on the island of Anglesey, famous for having the longest name in Britain.
Lloyd George, David. (1863–1945) (No hyphen.) British prime minister (1916–22); but Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (hyphen) for his title as a peer.
Lloyd Webber, Andrew. (1948–) Now Lord Lloyd-Webber (hyphen), British composer of musicals; brother of Julian Lloyd Webber (1951–), cellist.
Lloy
d’s of London (apos.) for the venerable insurance exchange, but Lloyds TSB (no apos.) for the British bank.
Llullaillaco. Mountain on border of Argentina and Chile.
loath, loathe. The first is an adjective meaning reluctant; the second, a verb meaning to despise.
loathsome.
LoBiondo, Frank. (1946–) U.S. representative from New Jersey.
local residents. Residents generally are local, so in most contexts the first word can be deleted.
loc. cit., the abbreviation of loco citato (Lat.), means “in the place cited.”
Locke, John. (1632–1704) English philosopher.
lodestar, lodestone. These are the preferred spellings, but loadstar and loadstone are also accepted.
Lódz, Poland; pronounced woodj.
logarithm.
Lomé. Capital of Togo.
Longchamp, not -champs, for the French racecourse.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. (1807–1882) American poet.
Longleat House, Wiltshire, England.
longueur. Note -ueu-. Boring interval or section of an entertaining work.
Look Homeward, Angel. Note comma. Novel by Thomas Wolfe (1929).
Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.
Lorenz, Konrad. (1903–1989) Austrian zoologist.
losable.
Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Angeles.
Louis Roederer champagne.
Louis Vuitton. French luxury goods company.
Lourenço Marques. Former name of Maputo, capital of Mozambique.
Louvain. French and English spelling of Belgian university town known as Leuven in Flemish.
louver. A type of slatted cover.
Love’s Labour’s Lost. Comedy by Shakespeare. There may also have been a companion play, now lost, called Love’s Labour’s Won.
LPG. Liquefied petroleum gas.
luau. Hawaiian feast.
lubricous is generally the preferred spelling for the word meaning slippery or lewd, but most dictionaries also accept lubricious.
Luddite. A worker opposed to technological change.
Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Lufthansa. German national airline.
Luftwaffe. German air force.
luge. Type of sled.
luminesce, luminescence. lumpenproletariat. Bottom of the working class.
Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of. In French, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg; the capital is also Luxembourg (or Luxembourg City, for clarity).
Luxemburg, Rosa. (1871–1919) Political activist.
lux mundi. (Lat.) “Light of the world.”
luxuriant, luxurious. The words are not interchangeable, though the meanings sometimes overlap. Luxuriant indicates profusion (“luxuriant hair”). Luxurious means sumptuous and expensive (“a luxurious house”). A luxuriant carpet is a shaggy one; a luxurious carpet is an expensive one.
Lyly, John. (c. 1555–1606) English playwright.
Lyonnaise, lyonnaise. The first is a region of France; the second is a style of cooking.
Lysistrata. Comedy by Aristophanes.
Mm
Maas. Dutch name for the European river known in English as the Meuse.
Ma’at. Egyptian goddess of truth.
Mac, Mc, M’. In British usage all such words are treated as if they were spelled Mac when determining alphabetical order. Thus McGuire would precede Mason. In the United States, the alphabetical order of the letters is followed literally, and Mason would precede McGuire.
macadam. A type of road surface, named after John McAdam (1756–1836), a Scottish engineer.
macaque. Monkey of the genus Macaca.
macaronic verse. A type of poetry in which two or more languages are mingled.
MacArthur, Charles. (1895–1956) American playwright and screenwriter, and father of James MacArthur (1937–), actor.
MacArthur, Douglas. (1880–1964) American general.
MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. U.S. charity famous for generous awards.
Macaulay, Baron Thomas Babington. (1800–1859) British historian.
Maccabees. Jewish dynasty of second and first centuries BC.
Macdonald, Dwight. (1906–1982) American writer and critic.
Macdonald, Sir John Alexander. (1815–1891) Canadian prime minister (1867–1873, 1878–1891).
MacDonald, Ramsay. (1866–1938) British prime minister (1924, 1929–1935).
Macdonald, Ross. Pen name of Kenneth Millar (1915–1983), Canadian-American author of detective fiction.
Macdonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia.
Macgillicuddy’s Reeks. Mountain range in County Kerry, Ireland.
MacGraw, Ali. (1938–) American actress.
MacGregor. Scottish clan.
Machiavelli, Niccolò di Bernardo dei. (1469–1527) Florentine statesman and political theorist, best known for Il Principe (The Prince), 1513.
machicolation. Gallery at the top of a castle tower.
Mach number. (Cap. M.) The ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the medium (usually air) through which the object is traveling: e.g., an aircraft traveling at twice the speed of sound is said to be going at Mach 2. Named after Ernst Mach (1836–1916), an Austrian physicist.
Macintosh for the computer made by Apple, but McIntosh for the apple.
Mackenzie, river and mountains in western Canada, but McKenzie for the lake and bay in Ontario and the pass in Oregon.
Mackinac Island and Straits of Mackinac, in Lake Huron, but Mackinaw City, Michigan. The type of woolen coat is called a mackinaw, but Mackinaw blanket and Mackinaw boat are both capitalized. For all spellings, the pronunciation is mack-in-aw.
MacLaine, Shirley. (1934–) American actress; born Shirley MacLean Beaty.
MacLean, Alistair. (1922–1987) British writer of adventure novels.
Maclean’s. Canadian weekly newsmagazine.
MacLehose & Sons. Scottish printers.
MacLeish, Archibald. (1892–1982) American poet.
Macleod, Lake, Western Australia.
MacMurray, Fred. (1907–1991) American actor.
MacNeice, (Frederick) Louis. (1907–1963) Irish-born British poet.
MacNelly, Jeff. (1947–2000) American cartoonist.
Macon, Georgia, but Mâcon for the French city and wine.
Macy’s department stores. Formally R. H. Macy & Co.; now a subsidiary of Federated Department Stores.
Madagascar. Island republic off Southeast Africa, formerly Malagasy Republic; capital Antananarivo.
mademoiselle. (Fr.) Not -dam-. An unmarried female; pl. mesdemoiselles.
Madhya Pradash. Indian state.
Madison, Dolley. (1768–1849) Not Dolly. U.S. first lady, wife of James Madison. But note that some commercial products spell the name Dolly Madison.
Madras, India; now called Chennai; on first reference, it is probably best to use both names.
Madrileño. Citizen of Madrid.
maelstrom.
Maeterlinck, Count Maurice. (1862–1949) Belgian poet and dramatist; awarded Nobel Prize in Literature (1911).
Mafeking, Mafikeng. The first is the historical spelling for the site of a famous siege during the Boer War; the second is the current spelling of the South African town.
Mafioso. A member of the Mafia; pl. Mafiosi.
Magdalen College, Oxford, but Magdalene College, Cambridge. Both are pronounced maudlin. The New Testament figure is Mary Magdalene.
Magellan, Ferdinand. (1480–1521) Portuguese explorer; led first expedition that circumnavigated the globe, though he himself was killed en route; in Portuguese, Fernão de Magalhães.
Maggiore, Lake, Italy.
Maghreb. Collective name for Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Maginot Line. Line of defensive fortifications across northeastern France, breached by Germany in 1940.
Magna Carta (or Charta). Charter of rights signed by King John at Runnymede, England, in 1215.
magnum opus, opus magnum. (Lat.)
The first is an author’s principal work; the second is a great work.
Magritte, René. (1898–1967) Belgian surrealist painter.
Mahabhrata. Indian epic.
maharaja, maharanee. Indian prince and princess.
Mahatir bin Mohamad, Dr. (1925–) Prime minister of Malaysia (1981–2003).
Mahfouz, Naguib. (1912–2006) Egyptian novelist; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988.
mahjong. Chinese game played with tiles.
mahogany.
Maillol, Aristide. (1861–1944) French sculptor.
maître d’hôtel. (Fr.) Hotel manager or headwaiter; pl. mâitres d’hôtel.
Majlis. Parliament of Iran.
major, as in a “major initiative,” “major embarrassment,” “major undertaking,” and so on, remains a severely overworked word, and thus brings a kind of tofu quality to much writing, giving it bulk but little additional flavor. Nearly always it is worth the effort of trying to think of a more precise or expressive term.
majority should be reserved for describing the larger of two clearly divisible things, as in “A majority of the members voted for the resolution.” But even then a more specific description is usually better: “52 percent,” “almost two-thirds,” “more than 70 percent,” etc. When there is no sense of a clear contrast with a minority (as in “The majority of his spare time was spent reading”), majority is always better avoided.
Makassar Strait. Between Borneo and Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Makhachkala. Formerly Petrovskoye, capital of Dagestan, Russia.
Maki, Fumihiko. (1928–) Japanese architect.
Malabo. Formerly Santa Isabel, capital of Equatorial Guinea.
Malagasy Republic. Former name of Madagascar; Malagasy (sing. and pl.) remains the term for a person or persons from the island, and for the language spoken there.
malarkey.
Malawi. Formerly Nyasaland. African republic; capital Lilongwe.
mal de mer. (Fr.) Seasickness.
Maldives. Island republic in the Indian Ocean; capital Malé.
maleficence, malfeasance. The first means a propensity to cause hurt or harm. The second is a legal term describing wrongdoing.
Mali. Formerly French Sudan. African republic; capital Bamako.
Maliki, Nouri. (1950–) Prime minister of Iraq (2006–); sometimes also known as Jawad Maliki.
Mallarmé, Stéphane. (1842–1898) French poet.