Today's Diphthong Question

[beamjockey]

Why is "threshold" spelled with one "H" but "withhold" spelled with two?

Comments

[daisy-knotwise.livejournal.com]

I think that it comes from the words that those words came from.

Withhold comes from with and hold. Each word had the "h" before the words were put together.

Thresh hold comes from a place where threshing happened. Hence the h came with the "s" already attached.


GHR

[ericcoleman]

You're looking for logic in the English language?

WHY?

[chasophonic.livejournal.com]

Once the threshold has been reached, you no longer need to withhold "h"s.

[kevin kenny (from livejournal.com)]

withhold < ME "with" + "hold" -- hold back, hold with (yourself)

threshold < OE "thresc" + "wald" -- cognate to modern "thresh" (but in an older sense of "tread") and "way", but not cognate to "hold"

[harvey-rrit.livejournal.com]

The "thresh hold" of a barn is to keep the grain from getting out easily. This is very much a hands-on term.

To "with hold" is to keep something to yourself and away from someone else.

Withhold is therefore a term used by salaried people, who can afford an extra 'h'.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

It's like the "H" in "Jesus H Christ".

[isherempress.livejournal.com]

Great comments. You have such amazing friends, Bill. And even though we all know you're mad, we still love you. <3

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

There are some things that Man was not meant to know.