Lest

[darkoshi]

Lest is a neat word. I know what it means, but had difficulty in trying to verbally define it or explain it.

Dictionary definitions:
"for fear that; so that (one) should not (used negatively to introduce a clause expressive of an action or occurrence requiring caution)"

"so as to prevent any possibility that"

"with the intention of preventing (something undesirable); to avoid the risk of"

That's quite an impressive conveyance of meaning for such a small 4-letter word.

Etymology: from "whereby less that"

Comments

[marahmarie]

The one word I use in posts that I figure everyone thinks I'm making up! it's ancient, but it's efficient, so it works.

[lhexan]

That is a hilarious etymology.

[darkoshi]

Yeah, at first it sort of made sense to me, but it's really an odd way of speaking.

[lhexan]

A professor of mine (Ted Cohen) once said that the odd language of the legal profession was not a refinement on English, but a replacement for it. This very much reminds me of that remark.