On: The Quiet Revolution of Animal Crossing

[ebg13]

> it’s not invaluable

invaluable (adjective): extremely useful

[Qu3tzal → ebg13]

I guess it was used as to mean "without value", which is not exactly what it means.

The prefix "in" of "invaluable" does mean negation but it means negation in the way that the value of the object is such that it doesn't exist. It's so valuable that you cannot even quantify it, it transcends the notion of value.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invaluable#note-1

[fphhotchips → ebg13]

"Inflammable means flammable? What a country!"

In this case the context makes the meaning clear, but this quirk of English has confused people for years.

[tarsinge → fphhotchips]

In French it’s inflammable for flammable too, but the weird one for me is inhabitants (it’s just habitants here).

[leetcrew → fphhotchips]

interestingly, you can track this issue back to latin, which has a preposition "in" (meaning in, on, to), which is often attached to verbs, and a prefix "in-" which negates the word it's attached to.

[kurthr → ebg13]

Perhaps, valueless?

[WJW → ebg13]

Seeing shapes in clouds is not "extremely" useful, but it's nice. Neither useful nor useless I suppose.

[inopinatus → WJW]

Try asking a meteorologist.

[conception → ebg13]

Whoops - good catch.

Not without value. :)