Aluminum
This word has been pirated from ... the land of nonexistent words. Most Americans think this word is the correct one, rather than the lengthier British ALUMINIUM ... But, it is the American version which was erroneously altered somewhere along the way. According to a U.of Mich. educational site: < I can't tell you where it started, precisely, but the OED notes that the discoverer of Al, Sir Humphry Davy, gave it the name ALUMINUM. Later it was apparently changed (one wonders by whose authority) to "harmonize best with other names of elements". Apparently whoever was given charge of this responsibility failed to execute it completely, since the original form ALUMINUM is utterly standard in the USA.>

submitted by leeskerette

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