TransWikia.com

Why doesn't US English drop the "o" from "subpoena"?

English Language & Usage Asked on June 18, 2021

US English usually drops the o from the diphthong oe (or œ).

So for example the o in the UK English manoeuvre, diarrhoea, oesophagus are all usually dropped in US English.

Why then isn’t the o in subpoena also dropped in US English?

Perhaps this is just purely a historical accident. But is there perhaps any "logical" reason for this?


Google Ngrams suggests that there was a brief moment in the 1950s when subpena may have overtaken subpoena, but since then subpena has died out:

enter image description here

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP