I have “loathe” and “loath” on my mind. I fixed two instances this week. In both cases, the writer had written “loathe” but actually meant “loath.” I think that the mistake is most often just a typo, but I think it’s worth repeating:
* Loathe is a verb that means to abhor, to hate, to despise.
* Loath is an adjective that means reluctant.
Here are examples from The N&O:
“You’d think the group would be loath [reluctant] to tinker with a formula that has served it so well, but there will be at least one major change on the band’s next album.”
“Today, foremost among all days of the year, we remember how it was that 3,000 or so good Americans perished at the hands of those who loathe [hate or despise] what this country stands for.”
This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.