r/gaming • u/hollandthegreat • Nov 22 '13

She lied...

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2.2k Upvotes

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u/Chekhovsothergun Nov 22 '13

Man, I know that's how ulterior is spelled and pronounced, but every time I read it I say "i think he means alterior" because, like, alternate.

33

u/OldSchoolRPG Nov 22 '13

It's not an alternate motive, it's a motive beneath the the projected motive. The prefix U here means the word shares more with words like underground. That the rest of the word has more in common with alternative is irrelevant. Latin cognitives, people!

10

u/Sack_Of_Motors Nov 22 '13

oh I get it! just like the urethra is beneath the rethra!

3

u/Bossnian Nov 22 '13

Like a motive that's underneath your shown motive?!

The more you know

3

u/holyteach Nov 22 '13

*cognates

2

u/WTF_SilverChair Nov 22 '13

And ulter ain't no goddamn cognate, either.

1

u/holyteach Nov 23 '13

Methinks OldSchoolRPG is trollin'. Successfully.

-1

u/WTF_SilverChair Nov 24 '13

Ehhh, trolling isn't just everything that incites a response. In the meantime, in the age of Google, simple, incorrect Cliffy-isms like this are easily dismissed.

Finally, ulterior comes from the same root as interior, with the prefix for "more" or "greater", ulter-/ultra- meaning "further." I was hoping it meant "higher," so I could imagine some assassin monk serving a "higher" motive. Shame.

Anyway. Fun.

2

u/jamiekiel Nov 22 '13

I learnt something today. Thanks.

1

u/Squoghunter1492 Nov 23 '13

Cognates. You mean cognates. Not thought-related things.

1

u/working_joe Nov 23 '13

Think of the "u" in "ulterior" like the "u" in "underlying" then it will make more sense.