Shortforms List: mustard

[Ed Godfrey]

The Shortforms List (Appendix 1) of UEB 2013 includes the word mustard under the shortform must. We wonder why mustard is listed, as we cannot determine "an original meaning" (in an American English dictionary) of must in mustard. Advice appreciated ...

-Ed

[claurent]

First let me say this is MY PERSONAL OBSERVATION 🙂

I don't think all the words in Appendix 1 were chosen based on one single logic or plan.  I believe each word was reviewed and voted on and then added to the list (or not, as the case may have been).  It's a list that you really just need to have available in a place where it's easy to check if needed...and sometimes even when you are just curious if the word you are looking for might be on the list.

I'm sorry I can't provide a better answer here.  I've tried and tried to apply my logic to that list and there is always an exception to my logic...so I have the list in a place I can use it frequently.

[claurent]

Here is a bit more information on this topic...it might help you to understand why the decision was made

 

The difference actually relates to the origin of these words. The words muster and mustang have no relationship at all to the original shortform of must. The word "must" actually has 3 meanings: be obliged, or as a noun it can mean new wine or mould (hence musty and mustiness are on the shortform list). The word mustard, in fact comes via the "new wine" meaning in that mustard was originally made using must or new wine when grounding the seeds of the plant.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by claurent.

[Author]

Posts