Real-life word puzzle

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Budphrey
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Real-life word puzzle

Post by Budphrey »

I'm hoping this erudite crowd can indulge me in helping solve a real-life language puzzle.

A friend of mine is translating an English work to another language, and he came across the word "intertive," used as a noun. He cannot find that word nor its definition in any reference work ... and I cannot find it in any dictionary or other reference work we have handy, nor does it turn up online in any meaningful fashion. (Granted we don't have the OED around the house, and you are welcome to flame me at will for that lapse.) The context appears to be theology or philosophy, but the word also could be a metaphor drawn from physics or chemistry. I really have no idea.

Of course I've also advised my friend to talk to the author, acknowledge the trouble tracking down the meaning of the word, and ask for it to be expressed in looser language, to assure at least an on-target translation. (That would also cover the possibility of a typo or an inadvertently made-up word.) But now, darn it, I'm curious.

Should you choose to respond, please honestly indicate whether you're supplying an authoritative definition, offering an educated guess, or treating it as a sniglet — in which case all bets are off and we might actually introduce a new word into cyberwonkdom. Or corrupt a perfectly serviceable but obscure term into taking the shape we want it to. :twisted:

Ready? ... go!!
Poo-tee-weet? So it goes.
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pinkfreud
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Re: Real-life word puzzle

Post by pinkfreud »

I do have an OED (unabridged) around the house, and there's no intertive in it.

My guess: it's a typographical error, perhaps for intertie. It would be helpful to see it in context.
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Budphrey
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Re: Real-life word puzzle

Post by Budphrey »

Due to concerns for the author's intellectual property rights and the fact that it's an unpublished work, I'd better not cite the passage.
Poo-tee-weet? So it goes.
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HugoZ
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Re: Real-life word puzzle

Post by HugoZ »

Doesn't seem to be enough substance to the word to be a coinage of any worth (prefix + suffix with no root in between).

Which pretty much leans toward some type of typo, which would be impossible to infer without the context.

I did check some Italian sources and couldn't find any relatives there, I'll leave it to others to chime in on Spanish or Latin.

Any other translation that is out there runs the risk of being inaccurate (did the translator consult with the author, or did they just take a stab at it?).

I'm also assuming from your context that it's an original work, so the source isn't a product of another translation.
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