IN metal, medal, vigorAnd interfere, we have seen the same message in all four words. However, their basic meanings are different.
However, their pronunciation is not too different.
Metal refers to a substance that is typically lustrous, conducts electricity and heat, and can melt and reshape. Iron, aluminum, lead and platinum are classified as metals. There are elements that are classified as metals according to the properties they share, and others, called alloyformed by combining two or more metals.
Medal refers to an object resembling a large coin, often stamped with a picture or design and given as an award for excellence or achievement. The Congressional Medal of Honor awards meritorious deeds involving the risk of life in military combat. The Fields Medal honors academic achievement in the field of mathematics.
That’s understandable for medal confused with metal—after all, rewards given for military excellence or athletic prowess are usually made of gold, silver, or copper, all of which are metals themselves. (The first two are elements, classified by metals in the periodic table; the third is an alloy.) But medal unrelated to metal—the former derives from Medieval French, Old Italian, and vulgar Latin from Latin intermediarymeans “in the middle.”
Here is an example showing the special usage of both words:
His bonnet shows a medal in gold, he wears the same chain metal around his neck, and the fashion of his rich clothes was not much better than that of the young chivalrous people, whose clothes were made to the extremes of existing fashion. —Walter Scott, Quentin Durward1823
Now let’s come to interfere And vigor. Verb interfere was used more in the mass media due to allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election. one’s mind” or “interfere without right or suitability.”
Some have argued that interfere is a too benign term for the actions of which alleged agents are accused, and they are correct in that traditionally the term has been reserved for matters of a more personal nature , such as sticking your nose into a neighbor’s scandal or asking your teen nasty questions about her dating life.
Let’s be clear, the Russians did not interfere in our election. They have carried out an act of cyberwar against the very foundations of our democracy.
– Richard Stengel (@stengel) July 18, 2018
vigor possibly the most ornate of the four, referring to a generally strong temperament or spirit, or the ability to persist or perpetuate a person or thing.
In the decades since Fantasia Barrino won American Idol, the singer has proven more than she has ever had. vigor. She has sold millions of records, released a New York Times best-selling memoir, won a Grammy, starred in a hit reality TV series, and became a Broadway star. —Gerrick D. Kennedy, Los Angeles TimesAugust 17, 2016
vigor implies durability, so it is perhaps not surprising that the word was at one time simply a variant spelling of metal, is even used to refer to substance. Sometimes, the figurative meaning of vigor will be expressed in terms that treat it as if it were a substance:
But she said softly, “No, it won’t kill your mother. She’s made of better stuff vigor more than that. …” — Lucy Maud Montgomery, Rilla of Inferno1921
However, over time, vigor has become its own word, referring to a personality trait, and has completely lost its literal meaning. Metal sometimes found infrequently used in this way.
And of course don’t forget metal as adjective for something impressive alluding to the genre of music called heavy metal.
So to summarize:
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Medals are usually made of metal;
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You may interfere in the affairs of others;
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But you won’t win a medal doing so;
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Resisting the urge to do so shows mettle.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
