All this inauguration hoopla made me ponder the etymology of the word.

Google tells me that 42 million poor souls out there have misspelled the
word as "inaugeration" (in the heat of the moment no doubt).

But if the word were spelled that way, would it not be a "screwing in" (from
the word auger) of the new president rather than a "swearing in"?

Some may consider the "inaugeration" a chance for the new administration to
put the screws to the populace, so the 42 million souls may have a point.

But the word really comes from "augur" referring to the ancient Roman
priests and diviners, so references to oracles and diviners may not be too
far off the mark if people do spell the word right.

Regards,

Alan Siegrist
Temporarily in Carmel, CA, USA


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