Loop is a common English noun and verb, while loupe is a French word, rarely used in English, where it has two rather special, narrow, meanings. A loop (noun) is a shape or path similar to a circle, and to loop (verb) means either “to move in a loop,” or “to use a loop,” such as a loop of […]

Both of these adjectives are formed from the verb tolerate, which means “allow, permit, or endure “—i.e. “not resist, not oppose.” Intolerable (in-toler-able) therefore describes something which cannot or will not be allowed or endured—anything, from personalities to physical forces: I find television intolerable; it is a waste of time at best, stupefying at worst. Rockets […]

Luxuriant and luxurious, both adjectives, have almost the same meaning—they are interchangeable in most cases, but there is a subtle difference. Luxurious means “characterized by luxury” while luxuriant means “characterized by luxury or abundance.” (Luxury is a noun meaning “a situation of great wealth and comfort”—such as living in a big house, eating fine foods, and sleeping in comfortable […]

Meantime and Meanwhile basically have the same meaning—“(at) the same time,” “during a certain period of time.” But their grammar is different. Both words can be used as nouns, but only meanwhile can be used as an adverbial—a word that modifies a whole sentence or its main verb: You go stand in line to get […]

A magnate is a wealthy and powerful person who owns multiple businesses or properties of a certain kind. A magnet is a piece of rock or metal, or a machine, which produces a magnetic field—the natural force that causes some metals to be attracted or repelled by each other, the force known as magnetism. When we talk […]