How do I decide whether I should spell the word "idolator" or "idolater"? Apparently, both are considered acceptable forms of the same word, so how do I determine which spelling I should use?
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3Are they really both considered acceptable now? Surely it's idolater, just as adviser is spelled with e and not back-formed from advisory. – Andrew Leach Aug 27 '16 at 19:41
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Consider context--the specific audience; some specific audiences may be more familiar with one or another alternative spelling, to such an extent that the other spelling will be perceived as wrong--and, failing that, greater frequency of use of one or another spelling for a general audience. To determine the latter in the absence of other evidence, dictionaries usually list the more common spelling first. – JEL Aug 27 '16 at 19:55
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3@AndrewLeach: do you have a citation for advisor being unacceptable and a back-formation? Dictionaries generally list it without comment as a variant spelling (e.g. Collins), or explicitly say it is acceptable (e.g. Oxford Dictionaries), and the suffix -or on agent nouns is common enough even when there are not related nouns ending in -ory. For example, there's no word idolatory. – herisson Aug 27 '16 at 20:13
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Back ca 1973 I was told of a rule (apparently used as editorial policy within IBM when writing about their computer equipment) that "-er" should be used to refer to a person while "-or" should be used to refer to a mechanism. I'm sure this "rule" is grossly oversimplified, but it at least works semi-OK in computer technical stuff. – Hot Licks Aug 27 '16 at 20:43
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Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/q/4733 – tchrist Aug 27 '16 at 21:08
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@AndrewLeach If adviser is the only correct option, Academia SE don't know how to spell. – alephzero Aug 28 '16 at 00:14
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In US academia (and possibly in other US contexts), it's pretty common to distinguish between one who holds the official position of advisor and one who is an informal adviser (http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1308/ph-d-adviser-or-ph-d-advisor). It doesn't look like any similar useful distinction can be made here, so it probably comes down to a style choice. I will note in favor of idolator that it looks much less like baby-talk for procrastination ;-). – 1006a Aug 28 '16 at 02:24
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2@HotLicks: I need help connecting my computor to my printor. Meanwhile, my competiter is already printing his document (and the janiter is taking out the trash). :-) – Scott - Слава Україні Aug 28 '16 at 04:09
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Both spelling are accepted, but idolater is the more common. The suffix -or is typical of terms of Latin origin while the suffix -er with terms of German origin. But there are several exceptions as shown below, and "idolater" appears to be one of those:
Idolater (n.):
- late 14c., ydolatrer "idol-worshipper," from Old French idolatre, contracted from Late Latin idololatres, from Ecclesiastical Greek eidololatres "idol-worshipper."
-er:
English agent noun ending, corresponding to Latin -or. In native words it represents Old English -ere (Old Northumbrian also -are) "man who has to do with."
Generally used with native Germanic words. In words of Latin origin, verbs derived from past participle stems of Latin ones (including most verbs in -ate) usually take the Latin ending -or, as do Latin verbs that passed through French (such as governor); but there are many exceptions (eraser, laborer, promoter, deserter; sailor, bachelor), some of which were conformed from Latin to English in late Middle English.
(Online Etymology Dictionary)
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Well, if they really are both considered acceptable (it seems to be the case, at least according to several reputable English dictionaries), I'd go with the most frequently used word. A quick check with Google ngram shows that idolater comes up about five times more often than idolator:
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It's interesting that the word itself has declined in popularity so much. Perhaps it's worth avoiding altogether. – Lightness Races in Orbit Aug 28 '16 at 10:49
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Perhaps you should use the most common spelling, which is "idolater"; as both spellings are regarded as acceptable, you are not constrained to do that, although it's probable that more of your readers will consider "idolator" to be unacceptable than will object to "idolater" so that if audience reaction is your concern "idolater" is better. Historically, the Middle English forms were "ydolatrour" and "ydolatrer" which became "ydolatour" and "idolater" in early modern English. The "idolator" form may be a 17th century form introduced by some scholar who thought the Latin "or" was appropriate although the word came into middle English not directly from Latin but indirectly through French (which used "re" not "or"). So if historical authenticity is your concern it seems again that you should probably choose "idolater".
michealt
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3+1; though even in Latin it ended in -ra rather than -or. (The Latin word is borrowed from Greek, where it ended in -latres; I think it's simply unrelated to Latin -ator. Note that there's no *"to idolate", nor "idolation".) – ruakh Aug 28 '16 at 01:38