Last week my eighth-grader asked me to review his vocab words with him. Of course we have to use the iPhone flashcard app instead of actual paper, so it takes me almost as long to figure out how to quiz the boy as it takes to read through the words.One of his words was "perseverate," which means "continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point" (Merriam Webster online). Lightning struck: I finally had to admit that "perseverate" is a real word.
My entire life, I've been convinced that "perseverate" is a poor speller's way of writing or saying "persevere," one of my favorite words. Persevere means "to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult" (Merriam Webster online). I picture myself or my family "persevering" in the face of difficulties and I smile, flex my biceps, and stride off onto the nearest mountain. Who doesn't love that word?
"Perseverate," on the other hand, has a negative connotation. Continuing an effort beyond the desire point reads more like flogging a dead horse than achieving a goal. Over the years, when family members, TV anchorpeople, or even my kids' GT teacher used that word I smiled, chuckled in an inwardly superior fashion, and heroically refrained from correcting the error.
As I reflect on my grievous history, I realize that subconscious reasoning underlies my obtuseness. Looking closely at my habits, I find a great deal of perseverating that I would rather call perseverance. Training for a marathon through severe knee pain and alarming weight loss? Perseverating. Running said marathon despite stomach illness? Perseverating. Lysol wiping the kitchen counter until my fingers crack from dryness? Definitely perseverating.
You get the point. I'm astonished by my decades-long refusal to recognize a word that applies to me, and surprised that I finally admitted its existence. Does this indicate maturity? Humility? A willingness to change? Or just a recognition that the suffix "ate" creates an entirely different word.
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