"the religious rite"

[Dave Hause]

Alcoholics Anonymous influence?  After the new person an older member
sponsors being called a "sponsee" - implying the verb "spons."
Dave Hause
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Doyle" <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
...
Here's one of my least favorite back-formations:  Each faculty member in my
department is assigned to be the "mentor" for a designated handful of
undergraduates, who are referred to (by departmental administrators) as the
faculty member's "mentees"--as if there exists a verb "to ment."

--Charlie

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org