4 ms·
I enjoyed the tongue in cheek question, but words where "aught" sounds like "aft" are Germanic in origin (such as laughter or draught), whereas "graft" is Frenc
by petercooper 8y ago
I enjoyed the tongue in cheek question, but words where "aught" sounds like "aft" are Germanic in origin (such as laughter or draught), whereas "graft" is French in origin :-)
A lot of the more unusual spellings in British English (in particular) relate to trying to distinguish words by their origin.
- thaumasiotes 8y agoetymonline suggests that "graft" the horticultural term is French in its immediate origin (Greek in actual origin; the French word descends from a Greek word borrowed into Latin), but "graft" the term for a job is more likely... Dutch. It isn't related to the other graft.