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To: georgiadevildog
My pet peeve:

Improper use of the prefix "co". e.g. "co-conspirator", "co-mingle".

The relationship between a cospirator and a conspiracy is the same as the relationship between a partner and a partnership.

Just as members of a partnership are partners, not "co-partners", members of a conspiracy are conpirators, not "co-conpirators".

Merriam-Webster online:
Main Entry: con·spir·a·cy
Pronunciation: k&n-'spir-&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -cies
Etymology: Middle English conspiracie, from Latin conspirare
1 : the act of conspiring together
2 a : an agreement among conspirators b : a group of conspirators

"The act of conspring together."
"An agreement among conspirators." (not "co-conspirators")

The use of the prefix "co", meaning "jointly" or "together", with the word "conspirator" is both incorrect and redundant.

The use of the prefix "co" with the word "mingle" is, in my opinion, an even more egregious error. "Mingle" is a synonym for "mix". The definition of "mingle" is "to bring or mix together". Therefore, the use of the prefix "co" with the word "mingle" incorrect, unnecessary, and redundant.

And that's my rant for today. ;)

96 posted on 12/22/2004 10:40:27 AM PST by holymoly (Merry Christmas! http://tinyurl.com/5mxvw)
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To: holymoly
The act of conspiring together is redundant. Conspiring is not an activity accomplished alone.
193 posted on 02/25/2005 1:49:45 PM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them over THERE than over HERE.)
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