Quirks of the English language

enervating

Before opening up your mind Desi's way, how about tasting some "FreeRice"?
No, it doesn't come with a Condo or Leeza, for that, please approach Prez Bush on dainty feet, he's worth at least two birds in the hand!
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en·er·vate (nr-vt)
tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates
1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "the luxury which enervates and destroys nations" Henry David Thoreau. See Synonyms at deplete.
2. Medicine To remove a nerve or part of a nerve.
adj. (-nûrvt)

Deprived of strength; debilitated.
[Latin nervre, nervt- : -, ex-, ex- + nervus, sinew; see (s)neu- in Indo-European roots.]
ener·vation n.
ener·vative adj.
ener·vator n.

Usage Note: Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate to mean "to invigorate" or "to excite" by assuming that this word is a close cousin of the verb energize. In fact enervate does not come from the same source as energize (Greek energos, "active"). It comes from Latin nervus, "sinew." Thus enervate means "to cause to become 'out of muscle'," that is, "to weaken or deplete of strength."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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DESIDERATA:

I was interrupted while C&P-ing the above from dictionary online, and it rocks my mind to share wit myGOoDfriend some of the interesting features, some quaint and puzzling -- I call them QUIRKS -- I've encountered in the colonial master's language which I deem myself to have mastered to quite an exquisite level. Yes, blowing one's horn, or is it the trumpet.? But I dare not challenge Louis Armstrong. Mine is definitely weak:).

I recently had a tutorial of Copying graphics onto my Posts, but this slow pictorial dog -- but I am a quick newshound !-- got stumped trying to reproduce the GRAPHICS linked recommended by mGf-host, or correctly hostess, of sweetspirits.blogspot.com, so I'd have to work out a barter trade with another mGf for another tutorial.

Another mGf Moo_t surely ENJOYS language -- I gather he's a Chinoserie expert like my counsellor Mr Coww, but I won't nickname Moo_t Mr Goatie, as it would mis-lead, and he is not a she! And why am I stating the obvious?

Anyhow, I leave thee with one last lesson on quirky English.

Normally, to use the prefix "in-" with ad adjective, it would yield the new word the OPPOSITE meaning to the root word.

e.g. -- note that for example strictly has a fullstop after "e" and a period after "g" although the flow is not of a monthly nature for "g", and neither "g" implies it must be female. A goat is neutral, okay! But being lazy bums, most of us, especially in this era of SMS, shorten e.g. to eg, yes? If you replace "yes" preceding here with a "no", it's still okay! The blardy wonder of the Englishman's language.

And where was I? It's okay, or OK, if I ask: Now, where am I?

Back to prefix "in-" --
Yes, adding in- as the prefix to certain words yielding the Opposites, or Synonyms:

valid X invalid, meaning "not valid"
sincere X insincere, meaning "not sincere"
secure X insecure, meaning "not secure"

But when you prefix "valuable", it becomes "invaluable"!
And mGf, follow Moo-T's advice, don't assume "invaluable" makes the object "to be without value", look up the Dickshenary -- oops, poor spelling! -- Dictionary.

PS: This Post was inspired by one veryGOoDfriend who suggests Desi should
make his English language skills pay for his journey to that I-LAND named

spirite
DES
tination.

Why not, eh?
That's when Bloggers and my Esteemed Readers find Nirvana on that RM20million island in the sun, and mGf sweets will be grinning from ear-to-ear.
Me? I'll be FLASHING! Hey, what were you thinking?

Displaying my Einstein's naked body
wearing e-birthday suit?

No way can! -- Jest flashin' my darkie-white SE7EN s-mile-s

************** ASS ********* oh! **************** ASS **********

PS: I tried several times to grap the "FreeRice" here, but Desi, like Jack, is "one of all trades, master of just wan -- Writing!:) No worries, I jest sent an "SOS" to mGf, and further, Miss Patience is also Miss/Mr/in-between Virtuous.