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0|0|0|||||Plural of Abacus|Ruthe||06:38:28|05/30/2007|Your page at http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cut-the-knot.org%2Fblue%2FAbacus.shtml uses the misconcieved plural for abacus i.e abaci. I quote a paragraph from http%3A%2F%2Fmoonflare.com%2Fabacus%2Findex.html%231.3 .%0D%0A%22The plural of abacus has a been a matter of heated debate for some time. Webster%27s Dictionary%2C the equivocal American reference%2C gives abaci as the plural. This was done in analogy to words descending from Latin such as cactus and fungus%2C since in Latin there is a noun form with singular ending -us and plural ending -i. This has been one of the few Latin pluralisations to persist where ones like formulae have fallen into disuse.%0D%0A%0D%0ABut on the other hand%2C the equivocal British reference%2C the Oxford Dictionary%2C gives the plural of abacus to be abacuses. As odd as this sounds%2C it is more in tune to the actual roots of the word%2C which are not at all Latin%2C but Arabic. Although the Arabic pluralisation is not used%2C I believe it%27s reasonable to say that it doesn%27t make sense to pluralise a non-Latin word as though it were Latin%2C masking its etymological roots. For this reason%2C I choose this plural in this document.%22%0D%0A%0D%0ATo further cement this interpretation I also quote from the online Oxford Dictionary for %27abacus%27 at http%3A%2F%2Fwww.askoxford.com%2Fconcise_oed%2Fabacus%3Fview%3Duk which states%2C%0D%0A%22abacus%0D%0A%2Fabbkss%2F %0D%0A%0D%0A  %95 noun %28pl. abacuses%29 a frame with rows of wires or grooves along which beads are slid%2C used for calculating. %0D%0A%0D%0A  %97 ORIGIN Greek abax %91slab%2C drawing board%92.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AHope this helps to resolve this minor slip.%0D%0A%0D%0A %0D%0A%0D%0A
1|1|0|||||RE%3A Plural of Abacus|alexb||11:44:23|06/09/2007|%3EHope this helps to resolve this minor slip. %0D%0A%0D%0AIt can%27t be a slip if it is supported by a widely used dictionary. It is a matter of discussion or%2C perhaps%2C of a controversy%2C but by no means a slip.%0D%0A
2|2|1|||||RE%3A Plural of Abacus|sks23cu||07:54:44|07/09/2008|%3E%3EHope this helps to resolve this minor slip. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EIt can%27t be a slip if it is supported by a widely used %0D%0A%3Edictionary. It is a matter of discussion or%2C perhaps%2C of a %0D%0A%3Econtroversy%2C but by no means a slip. %0D%0A%0D%0AAnd http%3A%2F%2Fwww.merriam-webster.com%2Fdictionary%2Fabacus says either is OK%2C but lists abaci first.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt also states%3A Etymology%3A Latin%2C from Greek abak-%2C abax%2C literally%2C slab.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo some authorities believe there is a Latin link.