My version of Microsoft Word automatically changes 'pixelation' to 'pixilation'. That's annoying, but it's also interesting – for three reasons.
1. Word doesn't automatically correct 'pixelate' to 'pixilate'. Why the inconsistency?
2. In contrast to Word, the OED Concise prefers the 'e' spellings; that is, it gives 'pixilate' as a variant of 'pixelate' rather than the other way round. (It gives 'pixellate' as another variant, but doesn't suggest 'pixillate' at all. Shame.)
3. My OED also defines 'pixilated' as "crazy; confused" and "drunk (informal, dated)". It adds: "Origin C19: var. of pixie-led, lit. 'led astry by pixies', or from PIXIE, on the pattern of words such as elated."
So does Microsoft Word change my 'pixelation' because it assumes that I'm writing about pixies rather than pixels? I think the programmers must have been away with the fairies...
5 comments:
Thanks for this one JD, we'll try and add a check on this to the next release of PerfectIt.
I'd always thought that in the UK the word was spelled "pixellate" (and, by derivation, "pixellation"). Wikipedia agrees with me that "pixelate" is the North American spelling. Of course none of this helps much because Word doesn't recognise either "pixellate" or "pixelate".
Yes, I wondered whether there was a British English/American English difference but the Concise OED doesn't think so. I might check in the full OED Online when I get a chance.
I've been trying recall the name of the Cary Grant flick whose finale pivots on the word pixillate (and sorry JD, I have no idea how the Hollywoord scriptwriters spelled it!).
I've just checked the OED Online and (unlike Wikipedia) it doesn't give any indication of a BrE/AmE difference, but it does list pixillation as another possible spelling. So that's four options!
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