Expection

/ɪkˈspɛkʃən/ noun

Definition

An archaic or obsolete form referring to the act of expecting or looking for something.

Etymology

From Latin expectio, related to expectare. This is a very old word that was largely replaced by 'expectation' as English evolved; it appears in Middle English texts but became obsolete by the 17th century.

Kelly Says

You can spot 'expection' in Shakespeare-era texts, but it lost out to 'expectation' in the competition for survival among English words. Language works like natural selection—longer or more common variations often eliminate their cousins.

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