ABC Online has once again shown it doesn't really care how a word is spelled, and what it may do to the meaning ... as long as it's a synonym, the reader is bound to figure it out.
Actually, Jeff pointed out to me that the word vender, which I highlighted as incorrect in my previous post, actually is listed as a viable alternative to vendor in Dictionary.com. However, it is worth noting that Dictionary.com documents its date of origin as 1590-1600, which I take to mean that ABC Online's use of it in its article is outdated by only about 400 years. Also, as a side note, Blogger's spell check tool does identify vender as a misspelled word.
In today's case, the spelling error which has irked me so was in an article I was reading about the elusive Clark Rockefeller. While sharing with the reader some interesting idiosyncrasies about the man, it mentioned how he had "built a mote around the property and set up a security perimeter." While mote is in fact a word, it is defined as "a small particle or speck, esp. of dust". I find it highly unlikely that anyone would build a speck nor would it serve as a very useful security perimeter. I am guessing that a moat is more in line with what Mr. Rockefeller actually built to protect his property. I am kind of astounded by this erroneous use of vocabulary since I don't think moat is a very obscure word ... more like a word someone could find on a 3rd grader's spelling list.
Sigh! I can't say why these spelling gaffes get to me so ... maybe I am just getting old and cranky in my old age. Kind of funny considering that English was my least favorite subject when a student. Are my expectations in this arena really too high and unrealistic?
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