From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 21:57:48 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 21:57:38 -0400 Received: from kullstam.ne.mediaone.net ([66.30.138.48]:12425 "HELO kullstam.ne.mediaone.net") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Wed, 1 Aug 2001 21:57:29 -0400 From: "Johan Kullstam" To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [OT] Virii (sic) In-Reply-To: <20010801015116.B11060@win.tue.nl> <20010801115637.C22440@leeor.math.technion.ac.il> Organization: none Date: 01 Aug 2001 21:57:06 -0400 In-Reply-To: <20010801115637.C22440@leeor.math.technion.ac.il> Message-ID: User-Agent: Gnus/5.0808 (Gnus v5.8.8) Emacs/20.7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org "Nadav Har'El" writes: > On Wed, Aug 01, 2001, Riley Williams wrote about "Re: [OT] Virii (sic)": > > > [The singular is virus. The plural in English is viruses. In > > > Latin there is no plural - it is even debatable whether virus is > > > a noun in Latin - in any case it is indeclinable.] > > What I don't understand is why people use the form virii, with a double I! > > Just like the plural of abacus is abaci, the plural of cactus is cacti > (check the dictionary if you don't believe me), shouldn't the plural of > virus be viri, with one I at the end (of course, "viruses" is also currently > accepted as a plural, and even preferred by some people). > > I think people get confused by the fact that the plural of radius is radii. > That extra "I" comes from the i in radius - it shouldn't appear in the plural > of "virus"! The plural of the different word "virius" should have been virii. > > > PS: Plural of bacteria is bacterium, from the same source. > > Note that bacteria is already plural - bacterium is the singular. > > There's a more computer relevant fact: "data" is a plural noun, whose > singular is "datum". Similarly, "media" is plural, whose singular is > "medium". So constructions like "datas" or "medias" are wrong, although > they are becoming more and more accepted... > > Does anybody still use the form formulae as a plural of formula? I do, but > I think I belong to a dying breed :) > > [Oops, I don't think this discussion is very relevant to Linux kernels any > more...] and the ever popular boni for plural of bonus ;-) -- J o h a n K u l l s t a m [kullstam@ne.mediaone.net] Don't Fear the Penguin!