DOUBT and REDOUBT

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Ron Jolly, my long-time co-host from Words to the Wise, came across the word redoubt, and wondered how it related to the word doubt. Let's see where it goes.

A redoubt is an entrenched fortification used in warfare or for general defense. In the figurative sense, it is any retreat or refuge where a person can find safety and privacy in seclusion. The word came into English from the French in the early 1600s. What surprises me is that given its strong military meaning, it originally meant a place of entertainment.

The adjective form, redoubtable, describes a person commanding respect -- in the case of an enemy, someone so formidable as to cause fear and apprehension.

Moving on to the word doubt, it seems that there is no connection with the word redoubt, which implies seclusion or separation. Doubt means uncertainty, and it is about 400 years older than redoubt. It was also taken into English from the French, but was strongly influenced by the Latin verb dubitare -- to waver or be uncertain.

As to its spelling, that unnecessary and silent letter -b- in all three words was a late insertion by 17h century British influencers who thought that the English language had degenerated to an embarrassing degree, and sought to reform it by using Latin models, which just didn't fit.

Thus, we are indubitably stuck with a capricious and inconsistent spelling system.