Another etymological tip for you: French arose as a regional dialect of Latin and has obviously developed since. English absorbed many (Norman) French words after the conquest of 1066. English did not spring from Latin.
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Replying to @canpacinobox
Okay, and I just literally showed you an etymological dictionary saying the source was a direct borrowing from Latin in Middle English And that in all three of these languages the original meaning was "cut the sinews", i.e. "to weaken or to make collapse"
3 replies 5 retweets 90 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect @canpacinobox
The hilarious thing about you getting super defensive about this is that THIS IS ONE OF THE FUCKUPS JK ROWLING ACTUALLY DID ACKNOWLEDGE Since the definition of the word "enervate" is in fact very widely known among educated English speakers She went back and retconned it
3 replies 4 retweets 67 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect @canpacinobox
If you buy an edition of Goblet of Fire or Half-Blood Prince published after 2004, you will find that the word "Enervate" for the Reviving Spell has been replaced by "Rennervate"
4 replies 3 retweets 44 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect
A lot of things were changed to make the books more palatable to readers who may have trouble understanding. The title of the first novel was changed in the US because publishers feared it would be confusing for US readers.
3 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @canpacinobox
Lol yes it is all the English-speaking readers who know what the word "enervate" actually means who are, in fact, the ignorant ones We are not worthy of her genius
2 replies 1 retweet 26 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect @canpacinobox
This is a very odd exchange. In English, "enervate" means what it means. Maybe Rowling got it mixed up with the French word, but that doesn't mean she didn't make a mistake.
1 reply 0 retweets 11 likes -
Replying to @loriannwhite @arthur_affect
I speak three languages, one of them French. The English word “enervate” has barely registered with me throughout my life because it is hardly used in England. I’m more familiar with the French “énerver” - to annoy, excite, agitate, and imagine Rowling is too.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @canpacinobox @loriannwhite
Okay, and using the English word "enervate" to mean that, to an audience of English speakers, is objectively a mistake When you're learning a new language it's called a "false friend" or a false cognate
3 replies 1 retweet 24 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect @loriannwhite
She is fluent in French, not “learning a new language”. False friends are for novices such as yourself.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like
The "new language" in this case wherein she confused a bunch of people would be English
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