List of words that may be spelled with a ligature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This list of words that may be spelled with a ligature in English encompasses words which have letters that may, in modern usage, either be rendered as two distinct letters or as a single, combined letter. This includes AE being rendered as Æ and OE being rendered as Œ. Note that when a c is before a ligature, it makes the sound /s/ rather than /k/ as might be expected (because c makes the sound /k/ before an a or o in English).
The use of the œ and æ is obsolete in modern English, and was historically used predominantly in British English. It is now usually used for the names of historical persons (mainly Anglo-Saxon), to evoke archaism, or in literal quotations of historic sources. It may also be used for modern Scandinavian names which include æ in their language of origin.
The fl and fi ligatures, among others, are still commonly used to render modern text in fine typography. Programs such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign can be configured to automatically replace the individual characters with the appropriate ligatures. However this is a typographic feature and not part of the spelling.
-
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] Æ
Note that some words contain an ae which may not be written æ because the etymology is not from the Greek -αι- or Latin -ae- diphthongs. These include:
- In instances of aer (starting or within a word) when it makes the sound IPA [ɛə]/[eə] (air). Comes from the Latin āër, Greek ἀήρ.
- When ae makes the diphthong /eɪ/ (lay) or /aɪ/ (eye).
- When ae is found in a foreign phrase or loan word and it is unacceptable to use the ligature in that language. For example, when in a German loan word or phrase, if the a with an umlaut (ä) is written as ae, it is incorrect to write it with the ligature.
| Non-ligature form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| aeciospore | æciospore | — | combination of New Latin aecium and New Latin spora→spore (aci |
| aecidium | æcidium | (aecium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia) |
| aecium | æcium | (aecidium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia) |
| aedicule | ædicule | edicule (AmE) | Latin aediculum |
| Aegis | Ægis | Egis (AmE) | Latin from Greek Αἰγίς (Aigis) |
| Aelfred | Ælfred | (AmE) | Old English -- see Alfred |
| Aeolian | Æolian | Eolian (AmE) | Latin Aeolis from Greek mythology Αἰολίς (Aiolis) |
| Aeolis | Æolis | — | Latin Aeolis, from Greek Αἰολίς (Aiolis) |
| aeon | æon | eon (AmE) | Late Latin aeon, from Greek αἰών (aion). |
| aerose | Ærose | — | Latin aerosus, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aerugite | ærugite | (aerugo) | Latin aerugo, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aerugo | ærugo | (aerugite) | Latin aerugo, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aeschynite | æschynite | eschynite (AmE) | Greek αἰσχύνω (aischuno) |
| aesculin | æsculin | esculin (AmE) | |
| aesculetin | æsculetin | esculetin (AmE) | |
| Aesop | Æsop | Esop | Ancient Greek Αἴσωπος (Aisōpos) |
| aesthetic | æsthetic | esthetic (AmE) | |
| aestival | æstival | estival (AmE) | |
| aestivation | æstivation | estivation (AmE) | Latin aestivare, from aestivus, from aestas |
| Aether | Æther | ether (AmE) | Latin aether, from Greek αἰθήρ (aither) |
| aethereal | æthereal or ætherial | ethereal (AmE), etherial (AmE - rare), aetherial (BrE - rare) | |
| Aethrioscope | Æthrioscope | Ethrioscope | Greek αἴθριον (aithrion) |
| aetiology | ætiology | etiology (AmE) | |
| algae | algæ | algas[1] (very rare) | |
| ambilevous | ambilævous | — | From Latin ambilævus (ambi- (“both”) + lævus (“left”)), a calque of Ancient Greek [[wikt:ἀμφαρίστερος|ἀμφαρίστερος]] (ampharisteros). |
| anaemia | anæmia | anemia (AmE) | |
| anaesthesia | anæsthesia | anesthesia (AmE) | |
| antennae | antennæ | antennas[2] | |
| archaeology | archæology | archeology (AmE) | |
| Athenaeum | Athenæum | Atheneum (AmE) | |
| azotaemia | azotæmia | azotemia (AmE) | |
| bacteraemia | bacteræmia | bacteremia (AmE) | |
| Caesar | Cæsar | Cesar (AmE – rare) | |
| caesium[3] | cæsium | cesium (AmE) | |
| chaetophorous | chætophorous | chetophorous | |
| curriculum vitae | curriculum vitæ | — | Latin meaning ‘course of life’, vitæ |
| daedal | dædal | dedal | |
| daemon | dæmon | demon (AmE) | Greek: δαιμων (daimon) |
| Egypt | Ægypt | Aegypt (Archaic) | From the Latinised Ægyptus |
| encyclopaedia | encyclopædia | encyclopedia (AmE) | |
| era | æra | aera (BrE - rare) | Late Latin aera, probably from Latin æs (plural æra) |
| et cetera | et cætera | et caetera, etc., &c. | Latin phrase |
| Ethiopia | Æthiopia | Aethiopia | |
| Eudaemonic | eudæmonic | eudemonic | |
| faeces | fæces | feces (AmE) | |
| fairy | færie | faerie | |
| formulae | formulæ | formulas[4] | |
| fraenum | frænum | Frenum | |
| Gaea | Gæa | Gaia | |
| haemoglobin | hæmoglobin | hemoglobin (AmE) | |
| haemolysis | hæmolysis | hemolysis (AmE) | |
| haemophilia | hæmophilia | hemophilia (AmE) | |
| haemorrhage | hæmorrhage | hemorrhage (AmE) | |
| haemorrhoid | hæmorrhoid | hemorrhoid (AmE) | |
| hyena | hyæna | hyaena | |
| hypaethral | hypæthral | hypethral | |
| ischaemia | ischæmia | ischemia (AmE) | |
| judaeo | judæo | judeo | |
| judaeophobe | judæophobe | judeophobe (AmE) | |
| leukaemia | leukæmia | leukemia (AmE) | |
| medieval | mediæval | mediaeval (BrE – rare) | |
| nebulae | nebulæ | nebulas[5] | plural – New Latin → Latin ("mist"); akin to Old High German nebul ("fog") → Greek nephelē, nephos ("cloud") |
| nymphae | nymphæ | nymphs[6] | |
| nymphaea | nymphæa | — | |
| orthopaedic | orthopædic | orthopedic (AmE) | |
| paean | pæan | pean (AmE) | |
| paeon | pæon | — | |
| pedagogue | pædagogue or pædagog | pedagog (AmE), (paedagogue and paedagog exist but are both somewhat archaic) | |
| pederasty | pæderasty | paederasty | |
| paediatrics | pædiatrics | pediatrics (AmE) | |
| paediatrician | pædiatrician | pediatrician (AmE) | |
| paediatrist | pædiatrist | pediatrist (AmE) | |
| paedophile | pædophile | pedophile (AmE) | |
| palaeobotany | palæobotany | paleobotany (AmE) | |
| palaeocene | palæocene | paleocene (AmE) | |
| palaeoclimatology | palæoclimatology | paleoclimatology (AmE) | |
| palaeography | palæography | palaeography (AmE) | |
| palaeolithic | palæolithic | paleolithic (AmE) | |
| palaeography | palæography | paleography (AmE) | |
| palaeontology | palæontology | paleontology (AmE) | |
| palaeozoic | palæozoic | paleozoic (AmE) | |
| Panacaea | Panacæa | Panacea (AmE) | |
| Pangaea | Pangæa | Pangea (AmE) | |
| Parabolae | Parabolæ | Parabolas (AmE) | |
| personae | personæ | personas[7] | |
| premium | præmium | praemium | |
| primeval | primæval | primaeval (BrE - rare) | |
| Quaestor | Quæstor | — | |
| Rhaetia | Rhætia | — | |
| septicaemia | septicæmia | septicemia (AmE) | |
| scarabaeid | scarabæid | — | |
| scarabaeoid | scarabæoid | — | |
| Supernova | supernovæ | supernovas | |
| synaeresis | synæresis | syneresis (AmE) | |
| synaesthesia | synæsthesia | synesthesia (AmE) | |
| toxaemia | toxæmia | toxemia (AmE) | |
| uraemia | uræmia | uremia (AmE) | |
| viraemia | viræmia | viremia (AmE) |
[edit] Œ
| Common form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| amenorrhoea | amenorrhœa | amenorrhea (AmE) | From Greek α (a) + μένόρροια (mēnorroia) |
| amoeba | amœba | ameba (AmE—rare) | New Latin amoeba, from Greek ἀμοιβή (amoibē) |
| apnea | apnœa | apnoea (BrE) | New Latin apnoea, from Greek απνοια (apnoia) |
| coeliac | cœliac | celiac (AmE) | Latin coeliacus, from Greek κοιλιακος (koiliakos) |
| diarrhea | diarrhœa | diarrhoea (BrE) | Middle English diaria, from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Greek διάρροια (diarroia) |
| ecology | œcology | oecology | |
| economy | œconomy | oeconomy | |
| ecumenism | œcumenism | oecumenism, rarely ocumenism | |
| esophagus | œsophagus | oesophagus (BrE) | |
| estrogen | œstrogen | oestrogen (BrE) | |
| estrus | œstrus | oestrus | |
| federal | fœderal | foederal – archaic; thus virtually never found | Latin foedus |
| fetid | fœtid | foetid (BrE) | Latin fētidus |
| fetor | fœtor | foetor (BrE) | Middle English fetoure, from Latin fētor |
| fetus | fœtus | foetus (BrE) | Middle English fetus, from Latin fētus |
| gonorrhoea | gonorrhœa | gonorrhea (AmE) | Greek γονόρροια (gonorrhoia) |
| homeomorphism | homœomorphism | homoeomorphism (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + μορφος (morphos) |
| homeopath | homœopath | homoeopath (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + πάθος (pathos) |
| homeostasis | homœostasis | homoeostasis (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + στάσις (stasis) |
| homoeozoic | homœozoic | homeozoic (AmE—rare) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + ζωικός (zōikos) |
| hors d'oeuvre | hors d'œuvre | — | French hors d'œuvre |
| logorrhoea | logorrhœa | logorrhea (AmE) | From Greek |
| maneuver | manœuvre | manoeuvre (BrE) | French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from Latin manū operārī |
| Economics | œconomics | oeconomics | |
| oedema | œdema | edema (AmE) | |
| Oedipus | Œdipus | Oidipus (rare), Ødipus | Greek Οἰδίπους (Oidipous) |
| oeillade | œillade | ||
| oenology | œnology | enology (AmE) | From Greek οίνος (oinos) + λόγος (logos) |
| oenomel | œnomel | ||
| oenothera | œnothera | ||
| oeuvre | œuvre | — | French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera |
| onomatopoeia | onomatopœia | ||
| penology | pœnology | ||
| phoenix | phœnix | phenix (rare) | |
| subpoena | subpœna | subpena (rare) | |
| tragedy | tragœdy | tragoedy |
[edit] Notes
- ^ ^ ^ The variants that change '-æ' or '-œ' to '-s' are not variants in spelling, but the same meaning of the word with a different way of forming plurals.
- ^ "caesium" (see article) is preferred by the IUPAC.
Also, ligatures may be used in personal names as well, i.e. Maecenus as Mæcenus, or Timothy as Timothæ, etc.
