Word of the day

The word of the day is business.

I started thinking about the meaning of this word yesterday, on my way to work, when, stuck in construction traffic, I saw a sign that read, "Business entrance." Business. Don't you think it should be pronounced "busy-ness"? Think about it: we use the suffix "-ness" in our language quite a bit, and when we combine it with an adjective, we make it into a noun.

Only, when we change the adjective into said noun, and the adjective ends in a "y", the "y" changes to an "i." For example, "happy" + "ness" = happiness. "Ready" + "ness" = "readiness."

So business, if you break the word down into its components, is "busy" + "ness". A place where people keep busy. Makes total sense, right?

So I decided, to confirm my theory, to look up the word "business" in my good ol' trusty Webster's American College Dictionary:

busi-ness: n. 1. an occupation, profession, or trade. 2. the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit. 3. a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service. 4. volume of trade; patronage or custom. 5. a store, office, factory, etc., where commerce is carried on.

A store, office, factory, etc., where commerce is carried on? That's a place where people keep busy! HA! I have defeated Webster's Dictionary!

Of course, there are many other definitions for this word, but I shall choose to keep my own.

For I just love outsmarting Webster's successors.