iPhone Vocabulary Fail: Look Over My Regime?
In this post from Damn You, Auto Correct!, someone needs his military rulership to be proofread:
People often confuse regime, regimen, and regiment. All three share the root regere, which also gives us regal, and certainly all three are related to structure, order, and control.
Regime means “a form of government; a government in power or administration; or a prevailing social system or pattern.”
Regimen means “governmental rule or control” (wait, isn’t that what regime means?), “the systematic procedure of a natural phenomenon or process,” or “A regulated system, as of diet, therapy, or exercise, intended to promote health or achieve another beneficial effect; a course of intense physical training.”
Regiment means “a military unit of ground troops consisting of at least two battalions, usually commanded by a colonel; a large group of people,” or as a verb, “to form into a regiment, to put into systematic order.”
Confusingly, regime can also mean “a regulated system, as of diet and exercise; a regimen.”
So, in sum:
I am starting a new skincare regimen (or regime, although people might look at you funny).
The people are oppressed under the shah’s regime.
Oh no, the British regiment is marching into Boston!
The new faculty advisor has decided to regiment our planning by holding us to regular biweekly meetings.
None of these words, of course, mean resumé.