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as many of you know, i am absolutely fascinated with the english language, and especially the origin of the words we use. i am constantly trying to find their etymologies and derivations. i have many books and dictionaries at home that help me find this information. i also have several dictionaries on my computer that i refer on a regular basis - greek, latin, and so forth. when i am at work, one of the ways i kill time during a boring meeting, is play a type of word association game in my head, where i try and see if i can guess the synonyms of a word that one of presenters just used. quite often, presenters use the wrong words for what they are intending to say, and i am not sure if it is because they lack the vocabulary that is necessary to convey what they intended to, or if they are just distracted by what they are trying to say, that they often just get their words mixed up. one of the presenters today said something like "the libraries are RIPE with information", and although the image that comes to mind when you hear this seems to suggest that it is the correct word, i had a feeling that the presenter meant to use the word RIFE. so i looked it up. in the definition, it suggested to see the "note" at the word PREVALENT. it is normal for a dictionary to suggest synonyms for any particular word, but it was unusual to see a reference to a note of a different word. in addition to that peculiarity, there was a substantial note attempting to clarify the subtle differences between synonyms. very odd. it seems as though the lexicographers had a particular pet peeve for the usage of this word. here is the note that the dictionary referred me to........... Wildflowers might be prevalent in the mountains during the spring months, but a particular type of wildflower might be the prevailing one. Prevalent, in other words, implies widespread occurrence or acceptance in a particular place or time (: a prevalent belief during the nineteenth century), while prevailing suggests that something exists in such quantity that it surpasses or leads all others in acceptance, usage, or belief (the prevailing theory about the evolution of man). Wildflowers might also be abundant in the valleys—a word that, unlike prevalent and prevailing, is largely restricted to observations about a place and may suggest oversupply (: an abundant harvest; indications of decay were abundant). Plentiful, on the other hand, refers to a large or full supply without the connotations of oversupply (: a country where jobs were plentiful). If wildflowers are rife, it means that they are not only prevalent but spreading rapidly (: speculation was rife among the soldiers). If they're copious, it means they are being produced in such quantity that they constitute a rich or flowing abundance (: weep copious tears). What often happens, with wildflowers as well as with other beautiful things, is that they become so abundant they are regarded as common, a word meaning usual or ordinary (: the common cold). Like prevalent, common can apply to a time as well as a place (: an expression common during the Depression). But neither abundant nor common connotes dominance as clearly as prevalent does. here are some other words that came up today and caught my ear : - boolean - abstention