Wordcraft Community Home Page
Prophyla_ic

This topic can be found at:
https://wordcraft.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/932607094/m/3121073641

February 14, 2005, 17:43
<wordnerd>
Prophyla_ic
jheem said elsewhere, "It all depends on your definition of a dictionary. For some it is a prophylaxic against bad grammar ..."

I was aware of the words prophylactic and prophylaxis, but not prophylaxic. But never doubt jheem! And indeed, although the last is not in one-look, it's found in use.

Is there any difference in usage between prophylactic and prophylaxic?
February 14, 2005, 17:49
Kalleh
Yes, as you saw in the link, wordnerd, "prophylaxic" is used medically, though "prophylactic" is also used medically.

I don't think there is a difference between the words, but I could be wrong.

Of course, we all know the noun use of a "prophylactic." Eek
February 15, 2005, 00:00
aput
-xic is a re-formation in English: the Greek endings were always -tic- but -sis/xis, with assibilation having taken place in the Attic-Ionic dialect.
February 15, 2005, 04:34
jheem
Learn to doubt, expecially if I'm jet-lagged with the flu. I started to write prophylaxis and then changed words midstream ending up with what I ended up with. I should've written French letter.