Talk:hysterical

Adding a note to definition 3 that this usage is incorrect (or "was", it is now de facto correct, if de jure incorrect). Yes, it's a pet peeve. However, the usage (3) is also incorrect gramatically.

I would suggest that, if people can't use hilarious, then the correct conjugation would be hysterious (new protologism, anyone?). Edit: A co-worker pointed out that hysteric is probably the correct conjugation. I can't imagine why no one uses this word. :-)


 * I have removed the note that the usage in definition 3 is incorrect. The English language textbook New Snapshot, Pearson Education Limited 2003, introduces the word "hysterical" in the sense of "provoking uncontrollable laughter" ("Some of the Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy films are hysterical"). I do not understand the note saying that it is not correct but it is used. Who decides, that using a word in some meaning is not correct? New meanings of words appear from time to time. Either the word is used in some sense, or it is not. 195.113.183.2 09:03, 3 May 2007 (UTC)