• qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website
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    2 months ago

    What’s really neat linguistically is that “helicopter” isn’t a compound of “heli” and “copter,” but rather “helico” (as in helix, helical) and “pter” (as in pterodactyl).

    “Rebracketing” is when this happens (i.e., the split in the word is moved in colloquial language).

    • marcos@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      “helico” (as in helix, helical) and “pter” (as in pterodactyl)

      Oh, yeah. For those people that keep insisting that the rotating wing is not an helix… go change the name!