Author Topic: Word suggestion: comest  (Read 1326 times)

TRex

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Word suggestion: comest
« on: April 15, 2018, 02:30:04 AM »
Since Alan wrote:
I don't think it would improve the game to have an -eth and an -est form for every verb, so what I've done in the past when archaic inflections have been suggested is to see if they appear in the King James Version of the Bible or in Shakespeare.

At a quick look, I get 32 hits for comest in the King James Bible (aka Authorised Version). I didn't check Shakespeare.

yelnats

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Re: Word suggestion: comest
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2018, 09:09:02 AM »
« Last Edit: April 15, 2018, 09:37:58 AM by yelnats »


Alan W

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Re: Word suggestion: comest
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2018, 02:03:23 PM »
Another rule I've followed is that the -est and -eth forms of a verb should be either both included or both excluded.

In this case, cometh is already a valid Chi word, which would warrant comest being admitted even if there weren't all of those instances in Shakespeare and the Bible. So comest will be accepted in future.

Cometh seems to have more currency in current writings, partly because of the saying "Cometh the hour, cometh the man", whose origin appears to be uncertain. And then there's Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh, which no doubt was the inspiration for the title of the Flanders and Swann song that anona linked to.
Alan Walker
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TRex

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Re: Word suggestion: comest
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2018, 04:02:13 AM »
Wow, that might be the fastest I've had a suggestion accepted! Thanks!