Mick F wrote: ↑25 Mar 2024, 6:24pm
The other one I was thinking about today, was "agenda". It was being said on R4 this afternoon with a politician chappy.
When I went to meetings ......... and chaired them many many times ............ was we discussed the agendum.
Looking it up earlier due to R4, the modern stuff is "agenda" as the singular, and "agendums" as the plural!
Even the spell-checker on my Mac doesn't like "agendums".
I have never heard agendum used in common English parlance other than ironically.
Where did you look it up that returned agenda/agendums, please?
Mick F wrote: ↑25 Mar 2024, 6:24pm
The other one I was thinking about today, was "agenda". It was being said on R4 this afternoon with a politician chappy.
When I went to meetings ......... and chaired them many many times ............ was we discussed the agendum.
Looking it up earlier due to R4, the modern stuff is "agenda" as the singular, and "agendums" as the plural!
Even the spell-checker on my Mac doesn't like "agendums".
In Latin agendum means 'that which is to be done' and its plural is agenda.
In English agenda usually means the list of things to be done and is considered singular, the plural being agendas.
Like Jonathan, I would be curious to know who came up with agendums.
Shows what a mess you get into when you forget the origins of words. Agendums is a nonsense. The agenda is the list of things to be done, as noted, so it's inherently plural. Unless the meeting only has one item to address, in which case it's an agendum.
drossall wrote: ↑26 Mar 2024, 5:29pm
Shows what a mess you get into when you forget the origins of words. Agendums is a nonsense. The agenda is the list of things to be done, as noted, so it's inherently plural. Unless the meeting only has one item to address, in which case it's an agendum.
"They've downed tools" (when players want their manager sacked so they stop playing at the level they can)
"We want the best in class" (Football Director, CEO etc, when appointing these types)
"There will be limbs" (not even sure what this means, people celebrating waving arms around maybe)
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
Mick F wrote: ↑25 Mar 2024, 6:24pm
...
Looking it up earlier due to R4, the modern stuff is "agenda" as the singular, and "agendums" as the plural!
...
So I think that your original statement is a misreading of that dictionary entry: it's stating that agenda and agendums are plural forms of agendum, not "agenda" as the singular, and "agendums" as the plural".
So the dictionary entry is completely consistent with the Latinate derivation, and with all of the other responses upthread.
