This list of words that may be spelled with a ligature in English encompasses words which have letters that may, in modern usage, either be rendered as two distinct letters or as a single, combined letter. This includes Ae (ae) being rendered as an ash, Æ (æ), and Oe (oe) being rendered as an œthel, Œ (œ). Note that when a c is before a ligature, it makes the sound /s/ rather than /k/ like it may seem (because c makes the sound /k/ before an a or o in English). The use of the œ and æ is obsolescent in modern English, and has been used predominantly in British English. It is usually used to evoke archaism, or in literal quotations of historic sources. The fl and fi ligatures, among others, are still commonly used to render modern text in fine typography. Programs such as QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign can be configured to automatically replace the individual characters with the appropriate ligatures.
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Contents |
Æ
Note that some words contain an ae which may not be written æ because the etymology is not from the Greek -αι- or Latin -ae- diphthongs. These include:
- In instances of aer (starting or within a word) when it makes the sound IPA [ɛə]/[eə] (air). Comes from the Latin āër, Greek ἀήρ.
- When ae makes the diphthong sound IPA [eɪ](lay), or [αɪ](eye).
- When ae is found in a foreign phrase or loan word and it is unacceptable to use the ligature in that language. For example, when in a German loan word or phrase, if the a with a diaerasis (ä) is written as ae, it is incorrect to write it with the ligature.
| Common form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| aeciospore | æciospore | — | combination of New Latin aecium and New Latin spora→spore (aci |
| aecidium | æcidium | (aecium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia) |
| aecium | æcium | (aecidium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκία (aikia) |
| aedicule | ædicule | edicule (AmE) | Latin aediculum |
| Aegis | Ægis | Egis (AmE) | Latin from Greek Αἰγίς (Aigis) |
| Aeolian | Æolian | Eolian (AmE) | Latin Aeolis from Greek mythology Αἰολίς (Aiolis) |
| Aeolis | Æolis | — | Latin Aeolis, from Greek Αἰολίς (Aiolis) |
| aeon | æon | eon (AmE) | Late Latin aeon, from Greek αἰών (aion). |
| aerose | Ærose | — | Latin aerosus, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aerugite | ærugite | (aerugo) | Latin aerugo, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aerugo | ærugo | (aerugite) | Latin aerugo, from Greek αης (aes) |
| aeschynite | æschynite | eschynite (AmE) | Greek αἰσχύνω (aischuno) |
| aesculin | æsculin | esculin (AmE) | |
| aesculetin | æsculetin | esculetin (AmE) | |
| Aether | Æther | ether (AmE) | Latin aether, from Greek αἰθήρ (aither) |
| aethereal | æthereal or ætherial | ethereal (AmE), etherial (AmE - rare), aetherial (BrE - rare) | |
| Aethrioscope | Æthrioscpoe | Ethrioscope | Greek αἴθριον (aithrion) |
| aestival | æstival | estival (AmE) | |
| aestivation | æstivation | estivation (AmE) | Latin aestivare, from aestivus, from aestas |
| aesthetic | æsthetic | esthetic (AmE) | |
| aetiology | ætiology | etiology (AmE) | |
| algae | algæ | algas (very rare) | |
| anaemia | anæmia | anemia (AmE) | |
| anaesthesia | anæsthesia | anesthesia (BrE) | |
| archaeology | archæology | archeology (AmE) | |
| Athenaeum | Athenæum | Atheneum (AmE) | |
| azotaemia | azotæmia | azotemia (AmE) | |
| bacteraemia | bacteræmia | bacteremia (AmE) | |
| Caesar | Cæsar | Cesar (AmE – rare) | |
| caesium | cæsium | cesium (AmE) | |
| chaetophorous | chætophorous | chetophorous | |
| curriculum vitae | curriculum vitæ | — | Latin meaning ‘course of life’, vitæ |
| daedal | dædal | dedal | |
| daemon | dæmon | demon (AmE) | Greek: δαιμων (daimon) |
| Egypt | Ægypt | Aegypt (Archaic) | From the Latinised Ægyptus |
| encyclopaedia | encyclopædia | encyclopedia (AmE) | |
| era | æra | aera (BrE - rare) | Late Latin aera, probably from Latin æs (plural æra) |
| et cetera | et cætera | et caetera, etc., &c. | Latin phrase |
| Ethiopia | Æthiopia | Aethiopia | |
| Eudaemonic | eudæmonic | eudemonic | |
| faeces | fæces | feces (AmE) | |
| faerie | færie | fairy | |
| formulae | formulæ | formulas | |
| fraenum | frænum | A ligament restraining the motion of a part of the body. | |
| Gaea | Gæa | Gaia | |
| haemoglobin | hæmoglobin | hemoglobin (AmE) | |
| haemolysis | hæmolysis | hemolysis (AmE) | |
| haemophilia | hæmophilia | hemophilia (AmE) | |
| haemorrhage | hæmorrhage | hemorrhage (AmE) | |
| haemorrhoid | hæmorrhoid | hemorrhoid (AmE) | |
| hyena | hyæna | hyaena | |
| hypaethral | hypæthral | hypethral | |
| ischaemia | ischæmia | ischemia (AmE) | |
| judaeo | judæo | judeo | |
| judaeophobe | judæophobe | judeophobe (AmE) | |
| leukaemia | leukæmia | leukemia (AmE) | |
| medieval | mediæval | mediaeval (BrE – rare) | |
| nebulae | nebulæ | nebulas | plural – New Latin → Latin ("mist"); akin to Old High German nebul ("fog") → Greek nephelē, nephos ("cloud") |
| nymphae | nymphæ | nymphs | |
| nymphaea | nymphæa | — | |
| orthopedic | orthopædic | orthopaedic | |
| paean | pæan | pean (AmE) | |
| paeon | pæon | — | |
| pedagogue | pædagogue or pædagog | pedagog (AmE), (paedagogue and paedagog exist but are both somewhat archaic) | |
| paediatrics | pædiatrics | pediatrics (AmE) | |
| paediatrician | pædiatrician | pediatrician (AmE) | |
| paediatrist | pædiatrist | pediatrist (AmE) | |
| paedophile | pædophile | pedophile (AmE) | |
| palaeobotany | palæobotany | paleobotany (AmE) | |
| palaeocene | palæocene | paleocene (AmE) | |
| palaeoclimatology | palæoclimatology | paleoclimatology (AmE) | |
| palaeography | palæography | palaeography (AmE) | |
| palaeolithic | palæolithic | paleolithic (AmE) | |
| palaeography | palæography | paleography (AmE) | |
| palaeontology | palæontology | paleontology (AmE) | |
| palaeozoic | palæozoic | paleozoic (AmE) | |
| Panacaea | Panacæa | Panacea (AmE) | |
| Pangaea | Pangæa | Pangea (AmE) | |
| personae | personæ | personas | |
| praemium | præmium | premium | |
| primeval | primæval | primaeval (BrE - rare) | |
| Quaestor | Quæstor | — | |
| Rhaetia | Rhætia | — | |
| septicaemia | septicæmia | septicemia (AmE) | |
| scarabaeid | scarabæid | — | |
| scarabaeoid | scarabæoid | — | |
| synaesthesia | synæsthesia | synesthesia (AmE) | |
| toxaemia | toxæmia | toxemia (AmE) | |
| uraemia | uræmia | uremia (AmE) | |
| viraemia | viræmia | viremia (AmE) |
Œ
| Common form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| amenorrhoea | amenorrhœa | amenorrhea (AmE) | From Greek α (a) + μένόρροια (mēnorroia) |
| amoeba | amœba | ameba (AmE—rare) | New Latin amoeba, from Greek ἀμοιβή (amoibē) |
| apnea | apnœa | apnoea (BrE) | New Latin apnoea, from Greek απνοια (apnoia) |
| coeliac | cœliac | celiac (AmE) | Latin coeliacus, from Greek κοιλιακος (koiliakos) |
| diarrhea | diarrhœa | diarrhoea (BrE) | Middle English diaria, from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Greek διάρροια (diarroia) |
| ecology | œcology | oecology | |
| economy | œconomy | oeconomy | |
| ecumenism | œcumenism | oecumenism, rarely ocumenism | |
| edema | œdema | oedema | |
| esophagus | œsophagus | oesophagus (BrE) | |
| estrogen | œstrogen | oestrogen (BrE) | |
| estrus | œstrus | oestrus | |
| federal | fœderal | foederal – archaic; thus virtually never found | Latin foedus |
| fetid | fœtid | foetid (BrE) | Latin fētidus |
| fetor | fœtor | foetor (BrE) | Middle English fetoure, from Latin fētor |
| fetus | fœtus | foetus (BrE) | Middle English fetus, from Latin fētus |
| gonorrhoea | gonorrhœa | gonorrhea (AmE) | Greek γονόρροια (gonorrhoia) |
| homeomorphism | homœomorphism | homoeomorphism (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + μορφος (morphos) |
| homeopath | homœopath | homoeopath (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + πάθος (pathos) |
| homeostasis | homœostasis | homoeostasis (BrE) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + στάσις (stasis) |
| homoeozoic | homœozoic | homeozoic (AmE—rare) | From Greek ὅμοιος (homoios) + ζωικός (zōikos) |
| hors d'oeuvre | hors d'œuvre | — | French hors d'œuvre |
| maneuver | manœuvre | manoeuvre (BrE) | French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from Latin manū operārī |
| Economics | œconomics | oeconomics | |
| Oedipus | Œdipus | Oidipus (rare), Ødipus | Greek Οἰδίπους (Oidipous) |
| oeillade | œillade | ||
| oenology | œnology | enology (AmE) | From Greek οίνος (oinos) + λόγος (logos) |
| oenomel | œnomel | ||
| oenothera | œnothera | ||
| oeuvre | œuvre | — | French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera |
| onomatopoeia | onomatopœia | ||
| penology | pœnology | ||
| phoenix | phœnix | phenix (rare) | |
| subpoena | subpœna | subpena (rare) | |
| tragedy | tragœdy | tragoedy |
Notes
- ^ ^ ^ The variants that change '-æ' or '-œ' to '-s' are not variants in spelling, but the same meaning of the word with a different way of forming plurals.
Also, ligatures may be used in personal names as well, ie. Maecenus as Mæcenus, or Timothy as Timothæ, etc.
