Remark II.—Nutmegged, kidnapping, kidnapped, kidnapper, zigzagging, zigzagged, excellence, and some others, are undisputed exceptions to the rule. There are nearly one hundred words, from which more than four hundred derivatives are formed, that are usually made exceptions to this rule. Webster is distinguished for making nearly all the derivatives conform to the rule. Webster and Smart accent the verb curv´et, on the first syllable, with which accentuation curveting and curveted are correct spellings; other orthoepists accent upon the last syllable, then curvet´ting and curvet´ted are correct.
RULE VIII.
Words ending in c accept of k before a termination beginning with e, i, or y; as, frolic, frolicked, frolicking; colic, colicky.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
- colic
- colicky
- frolic
- frolicking
- frolicked
- havoc
- havocking
- havocked
- mimic
- mimicking
- mimicked
- mimicker
- physic
- physicking
- physicked
- rollic
- rollicking
- rollicked
- traffic
- trafficking
- trafficked
- trafficker
- talc
- talcky
- zinc
- zinckiferous
- (zinciferous)
- zincky
RULE IX.
Words ending in a double letter preserve it double after a prefix or before a termination beginning with a different letter; as, op-press, mis-spell, in-thrall, oversee; see-ing, op-pressive, stiff-ness, woo-ed, still-ness, assess-ment.
Remark I.—Annul, until, twibil, and the conservative fulfil, or the Websterian fulfill, are the only exceptions to the first part of this rule extensively recognized by present usage. The conservative distil and instil are at variance; but the Websterian distill and instill, and also twibill, as written by Reid, are in harmony with the rule.
Remark II.—Pontific, and all other derivatives of pontiff, are exceptions to the latter part of this rule, unless an f is discarded in the primitive word, as Webster suggests and the derivation warrants. The derivatives of dull, full, skill, and will, are disputed exceptions: if spelled as Webster writes them, dullness, fullness, skillful, willful, they conform to the rule.