Consecutive vs. Consequative

[qquito]

Hello, All:

A colleague used the word, "consequative", in his writing. From the
context it appeared to mean "consecutive", but I was not totally sure.
I checked all dictionaries available to and did not find it. Then I
turned to GOOGLE and found 593 entries of "consequative". Again, it
seemed to mean "consecutive" in those entries.

Today I spoke to my colleague, and he indeed meant to use
"consecutive", and he realized it was a mistake to spell it as
"consequative".

Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word? If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?

Thanks for reading and replying.

Roland

[Lars Eighner]

In our last episode,

Post by qquito
Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word? If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?

I looked at a number of the google hits and it seems to me that
by far most of them were simple mistakes in which "consecutive"
was what was meant. There were a few contexts, mostly
mathematical and computer engineering, in which I could not be
sure whether something other than consecutive might be meant,
although that engineers can't spell seemed just as likely an
explanation.

I don't think consecutive and consequative would be similar in
pronunciation. I think instead this is an unconscious
portmanteau of consecutive and sequential.

[Lanarcam]

Post by Lars Eighner
In our last episode,

Post by qquito
Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word? If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?

I looked at a number of the google hits and it seems to me that
by far most of them were simple mistakes in which "consecutive"
was what was meant. There were a few contexts, mostly
mathematical and computer engineering, in which I could not be
sure whether something other than consecutive might be meant,
although that engineers can't spell seemed just as likely an
explanation.

One can read, thanks to google:

"The constants delta r max and delta r min are normalising
constants and represent the maximum differences in consequative
first reflection ranges and magnitudes."

Well, IMHO, this means that all reflexion ranges and
magnitudes that make up the whole set of the first
values must be taken into account in order to
compute the constants.

Consequative could mean members of the same sequence.

My two cents;)

Post by Lars Eighner
I don't think consecutive and consequative would be similar in
pronunciation. I think instead this is an unconscious
portmanteau of consecutive and sequential.

[Jim Lawton]

Post by qquito
A colleague used the word, "consequative", in his writing. From the
context it appeared to mean "consecutive", but I was not totally sure.
I checked all dictionaries available to and did not find it. Then I
turned to GOOGLE and found 593 entries of "consequative". Again, it
seemed to mean "consecutive" in those entries.
Today I spoke to my colleague, and he indeed meant to use
"consecutive", and he realized it was a mistake to spell it as
"consequative".
Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word?

No.

Post by qquito
If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?

Because they can't spell.

--
Jim
"a single species has come to dominate ...
reproducing at bacterial levels, almost as an
infectious plague envelops its host"
http://tinyurl.com/c88xs

[CDB]

Post by qquito
A colleague used the word, "consequative", in his writing. From the
context it appeared to mean "consecutive", but I was not totally sure.
I checked all dictionaries available to and did not find it. Then I
turned to GOOGLE and found 593 entries of "consequative". Again, it
seemed to mean "consecutive" in those entries.
Today I spoke to my colleague, and he indeed meant to use
"consecutive", and he realized it was a mistake to spell it as
"consequative".
Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word? If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?
Thanks for reading and replying.

"Consecutive" is formed from "consecutus", the past participle of
"consequi", to follow along. "*Consequative" would be formed from
"*consequatus", a form that "consequi" can't generate, being a
consonant-stem verb, not an a-stem. So no, IMO, it's not a legitimate
form.

I don't think 593 googlehits indicates mass confusion.

[Donna Richoux]

Post by qquito
A colleague used the word, "consequative", in his writing. From the
context it appeared to mean "consecutive", but I was not totally sure.
I checked all dictionaries available to and did not find it. Then I
turned to GOOGLE and found 593 entries of "consequative". Again, it
seemed to mean "consecutive" in those entries.
Today I spoke to my colleague, and he indeed meant to use
"consecutive", and he realized it was a mistake to spell it as
"consequative".
Now, is "consequative" a legitimate word? If not, how come it is
confused by many with "consecutive"? Because of the similar
pronunciations?
Thanks for reading and replying.

A single number doesn't tell you as much as do two numbers compared. 593
hits for something could be a little or a lot, depending.

In this case I get

consecutive 19,600,000
consequative 287 Ratio 69,000:l

Checking my records of other errors measured, I see this almost the
highest ratio I ever calculated. It lies between people writing "caufht"
for "caught" (400,000:l) and "muose" for "mouse" (20,000:l). Not common.

Yet I suspect it's still a misspelling, not a typo, in the sense that at
least some of those writers really think the word is spelled
"consequative." But that question is harder to determine.

By the way, did you try looking at "consequtive" and "consecuative"?
"Consequtive" is noticeably more common.

I imagine the Q comes from "consequence," "consequently," and the like.

[qquito]

Thanks for that suggestion, I just did, and actually there are more
entries of these three than "consequative".

......
By the way, did you try looking at "consequtive" and "consecuative"?
"Consequtive" is noticeably more common.
......