Re: [USMA:52457] Reuse of Word
An interesting point. The venerable Webster's Unabridged Second Edition,
which is still used by careful writers, does not list "metric" as a noun.
The Third Edition does, so the word gained recognition after 1960.
Accurate writers now use "SI Metric" to designate the Modern Metric
System.
The usage that really bugs me is the run-away usage of "vouns," that is,
verbs used as nouns. We are commonly hearing now, except from the most
careful broadcasters, "the sequester" instead of "the sequestration." We
have long heard in recent decades about doing "an install" instead of "an
installation." This confusing peculiarity of English works the other way
too. For example, some would "mustard" their hot dog, using the noun as a
verb.
