Re: "cumulated" or "accumulated"

[Chris Jones]

On Mon, Feb 07, 2011 at 08:03:22PM EST, John Cowan wrote:
> Bob Proulx scripsit:
> 
> > Like "kempt" and "couth" I only assume exist because "unkempt" and
> > "uncouth" exist.  But I never hear them used. :-) 
> 
> "Kempt" now appears in the more regular form of "combed".
> 
> > Flammable, inflammable.  
> 
> "Inflammable" is the original word, meaning "capable of bursting into
> flames."  It was changed to "flammable" on the sides of fuel trucks
> because, as Quine says, semi-literacy should not be a capital offense.
> 
> > The very fact that you and I are on completely opposite sides of this
> > observation tells me that the use is problematic and should be avoided
> > regardless of whether either is correct or incorrect.  
> 
> Quite so.  I would change it to "combined", since that
> is the clearly relevant meaning of those listed at
> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cumulate .

+1

cj