3 ms·

"autodidactic" is "autodidact" + "-ic" rather than "auto-" + "didactic"; this is not a pedantic distinction because "autodidact" has mostly positive connotation

by zem 11y ago

"autodidactic" is "autodidact" + "-ic" rather than "auto-" + "didactic"; this is not a pedantic distinction because "autodidact" has mostly positive connotations, whereas "didactic", as you note, often has connotations of unwanted moralising.

mdaniel 11y ago
English drives me crazy and it's my native tongue
- zem 11y ago
  the same features make it a wonderfully fun language though :) my favourite example of how building up a word differently changes its meaning is inflammable (inflame + -able, rather than in- + flammable)