agent-noun-suffixorthographysuffixesword-usage
I found out recently that there are 2 different accepted ways to spell the word "adjuster". My question is whether or not there is a difference between the two spellings and when it's appropriate to use one over the other.
I've read similar questions with answers that seem to vary depending on the word and was wondering if there is a distict difference in meaning or application between the two spellings.
Thanks!
First of all, dictionaries list both spellings, and pricy is generally listed as a variant spelling of pricey, not the other way round, at least in the dictionaries I have checked (Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary, New Oxford American Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online).
Secondly, the usage stats from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and the British National Corpus (BNC) look as follows:
COCA BNC
pricey 1421 73
pricy 36 4
As you can see, this is not an American vs. British English thing. Pricey is clearly more popular on both sides of the pond.
Furthermore, the Corpus of Historical American English (COHA) paints the following picture:
(X axis: year, Y axis: absolute number of hits.)
So, this suggests three things, at least for American English:
So the bottom line is: both spellings are correct, but if you want to be on the safe side, pricey is the way to go.
A person who expedites.
On the other hand,
expeditor
An expeditor is someone who facilitates a process. It is a position or role found within project management, construction, purchasing and production control. An Expeditor may be mostly related to a Supply Chain related business. An expeditor's role is primarily to look at the requirement levels in the business and fulfill the demands by either rescheduling in or rescheduling out the delivery date on the Purchase Order. The expeditor is also responsible for making sure there is no line stopping situation for a business. The key metrics which an expeditor influences may be - Ontime Delivery, Cash Flow Cycle and Inventory Management. An expeditor needs to be assertive and needs to know the business at high contextual levels1
We can see the usage difference from the WP article on Expediting.
The -er suffix is used for the generic noun derivative of 'performer of the action' of expedite as usual: expediter:
To save these unnecessary costs and minimize potential risks, the supplier and customer may agree on the use of a third party expediter.
The -or suffix is used for the specific office/designation assigned with the duties of expediting in the specific business context:
… the expeditor makes sure that the required goods arrive at the appointed date in the agreed quality at the agreed location.
Best Answer
Adjuster is the standard English spelling according to Webster's. Adjustor is considered a "secondary variant" which is less common. Rule of thumb is to always use the first listed spelling of a word. Adjuster is defined as one that adjusts, an insurance agent who investigates claims.