I was reading something about an actor I've never heard of, and they said he has "a well-deserved reputation as a pre-eminent British Actor."
And then I wondered: what *is* preeminent anyway? Is it like "prehistoric"? Like, before there was eminence, there was a "pre" eminence?
When I looked it up, I saw that "eminent" and "pre-eminent" are synonyms, both meaning "widely known and esteemed."
So what's better: to say "She's an eminent painter" or "He's a pre-eminent sculptor"?
This is one of those questions that occasionally pops in my head which can be defined as "obsessively nerdy."
2 comments:
hello i am from Beijing, China. I just read your interesting articles online. I have been studying English and now work as an editor for two years. I am also interested in languages. Hope we can get in touch with each other if you are pleased.:) oh, my name is Lingfen Qi.
Thanks for visiting! What kind of editor are you, and where are you an editor?
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