Nugatory
Crystal Frost commented
on a ruling given by a local judge in a recent hearing, noting that he
displayed an admirable vocabulary. One of the words that she found impressive
was nugatory. This was the context: “Important
to the analysis of the remedial portion of Section 144 is the rule that
whenever possible, a phrase should not be interpreted so as to conflict with or
deny effect to any other portion of the statute. In other words, a construction
should be avoided that renders any part of the statute surplusage or nugatory.”
Nugatory means trifling
and inconsequential. It can also mean futile or worthless, which is the case
above. It tracks back to a Latin root that meant trifle.
Two other words came up
in the conversation because of their similarity: nougat and nugget. Nougat is
defined as a confection of nuts or fruit pieces in a sugar paste. It was
derived from a Latin word that meant a nut. Nugget is a metallic lump found
ready-made in the earth. The word may have come from a dialectical word used in counties in southwest England, a
word that meant a lump.
Listen to Mike’s program in real
time every Tuesday morning, 9:10 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to wtcmradio.com
and clicking on Listen Now. You’ll
also find about a month’s worth of podcasts there under The Ron Jolly Show.
Comments