Tuesday "Just for Fun": Ether-eal vs. E-ther-eal
Everyone's got pet peeves, and everyone thinks everyone else's pet peeves are silly. So, here's one of mine, and you can tell me if you think its silly.
There's a freeware protocol analyzer on the market that is spelled "Ethereal". I love this particular protocol analyzer, but I've gotten into wars with people over the correct pronunciation of the name.
I happened to be on the ethereal site today, http://www.ethereal.com, and noticed in their FAQ that they actually have that as a question. So, apparently, others have had the same argument.
So, is it Ether-eal. Or, is it E-ther-eal. The verdict is in...
According to the web site, the Merriam-Webster pronounciation is the correct one:
Main Entry: ethe·re·al
Pronunciation: i-'thir-E-&l
Function: adjective
1 a : of or relating to the regions beyond the earth b : CELESTIAL, HEAVENLY c : UNWORLDLY, SPIRITUAL
2 a : lacking material substance : IMMATERIAL, INTANGIBLE b : marked by unusual delicacy or refinement c : suggesting the heavens or heaven
3 : relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether
- ethe·re·al·i·ty /-"thir-E-'a-l&-tE/ noun
- ethe·re·al·i·za·tion /-E-&-l&-'zA-sh&n/ noun
- ethe·re·al·ize /-'thir-E-&-"lIz/ transitive verb
- ethe·re·al·ly /-E-&-lE/ adverb
- ethe·re·al·ness noun