The Suffix -age

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Electric potential is also called "voltage" as in the number of volts. Electric current is sometimes called the "amperage". Power, especially electric power, is sometimes called the "wattage". Area when measured in acres is sometimes called "acreage". Have I ever seen "poundage" as in weight in pounds?

So what is "garbage"? There's also "suffrage," by the way. "Universal Suffrage".

Comments

Words that end in age.

crash's picture

Being one of those odd nerdy types I whipped up a quick cli that told me there are 181 words that end in "age" in the linux word list. Saint Dennis only knows the ultimate source of this wordist.

A hostage forage garbage on pilgrimage to the Hermitage. The personage engage in vintage plumage for advantage in espionage.
But sage rummage found yardage for an undercarriage to upstage the visage.

Enough of this language. Please don't take umbrage.

Your friend
Crash

Garbage

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

Without the suffix, we are left with garb, as in clothing. Given that, would "garbage" be clothing discarded in a purge?

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt

How long before

the PC brigade target any word ending in age as being ageist?

Am I mad? Probably but I refuse and have done for years... sorry decades to use the PC term 'co-worker'. No one has ever been able to tell me what is wrong with the word 'Colleague'. It isn't sexist is it? So? Besides, if I see it written 'coworker' I immetiately think of cows which are female and is therefore non PC but that's just my insanity showing through.

As for 'poundage', I do remember seeing it on the wall of an old industrial building (long since demolished) that was part of Birkenhead Docks. This must have been 40 years ago or thereabouts. The sign talked about the various poundage of specific containers. It made sense at it was right next to an old weighbridge. Just one of those words that have fallen out of use.
I had to describe the original meaning of the word 'Fettling' to someone a few weeks ago. The more modern use replaced the word 'fitting' wheras the original (AFAIK) meant trimming the excess material off a casting before it was sent for machining.
Isn't language wonderful.
Samantha

Don't Worry

Daphne Xu's picture

... about the PC brigade. Political correctness hasn't been PC for a couple of decades.

-- Daphne Xu

And I who had manfully resisted the temptation

to talk about the -age of Aquarius and the the Middle -ages as oppposed to the suffix.
I blame Samantha. I'm weak and she leads me into temptation.

Also I firmly believe there's quite a lot of fettling going on in Hollywood since every film has a casting director.