Estrum

English translation: be consistent: preferably estrus (AmE) or oestrus (BrE)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:estrum
Selected answer:be consistent: preferably estrus (AmE) or oestrus (BrE)
Entered by: Charles Davis

21:28 Mar 17, 2019
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Medical - Medical (general) / mammals
English term or phrase: Estrum
Unlike Russian, Ukrainian and many other languages, in English there's no rule or habit of using different synonyms--especially in sciences.

Thus, how ok it is to use
1) "estrum",
2) "estrus", and
3) "oestrus"
 interchangeably in the same line, paragraph, and [originally English] research paper about mammals (including peoples/genotype-phenotype distinction), I wonder?


Thank you
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
be consistent: preferably estrus (AmE) or oestrus (BrE)
Explanation:
All three of these variants is correct, and so is "oestrum", but it is certainly not good practice to change from one to another in the same text for no good reason. One should be chosen and used consistently.

First, there is a question of European (British/Irish) versus American spelling, as with many medical terms. "Oestrus" is the former and "estrus" is the latter. Second, "estrus/oestrus" is more common than "estrum/oestrum", in my experience (and a Google search seems to confirm this), so I would recommend using the -us form rather than then -um form.

So if you are writing for a British publication or one aimed at British readers, I recommend using "oestrus" consistently, and conversely "estrus" if the target is American.

The only exceptions will be in quotations, where the form used in the text being quoted should be used, even if this is different from the form you yourself are using.

I hope this clarifies things.

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-17 22:45:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry: it should of course be "All three of these variants are correct"!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-17 22:51:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps I should add that although in general repetition tends to be avoided in English, this does not apply to scientific papers, where repeating the same term frequently is perfectly acceptable. Accuracy and consistency are much more important than avoiding repetition. And arbitrary variations of spelling are inherently bad practice. If you use "estrus" in some places and "estrum" in others, readers will wonder why.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 09:22
Grading comment
Thank you
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4be consistent: preferably estrus (AmE) or oestrus (BrE)
Charles Davis
3 +2Estrus for US English and Oestrus for UK English
Christine Andersen
4Mixed use in the same research paper, paragraph and especially line is quite bad style.
Jörgen Slet


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
estrum vs estrus vs oestrus
Mixed use in the same research paper, paragraph and especially line is quite bad style.


Explanation:
Mixed use, of various variants of the same Latin/Greek-derived word, in the same research paper, paragraph and especially line is quite bad style.

Mixed use in the same research paper is not that bad. Same paragraph and especially line are quite bad.

Mixing with the synonym "heat" should be ok.

Jörgen Slet
Estonia
Local time: 10:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EstonianEstonian
PRO pts in category: 16
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
estrum
be consistent: preferably estrus (AmE) or oestrus (BrE)


Explanation:
All three of these variants is correct, and so is "oestrum", but it is certainly not good practice to change from one to another in the same text for no good reason. One should be chosen and used consistently.

First, there is a question of European (British/Irish) versus American spelling, as with many medical terms. "Oestrus" is the former and "estrus" is the latter. Second, "estrus/oestrus" is more common than "estrum/oestrum", in my experience (and a Google search seems to confirm this), so I would recommend using the -us form rather than then -um form.

So if you are writing for a British publication or one aimed at British readers, I recommend using "oestrus" consistently, and conversely "estrus" if the target is American.

The only exceptions will be in quotations, where the form used in the text being quoted should be used, even if this is different from the form you yourself are using.

I hope this clarifies things.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-17 22:45:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry: it should of course be "All three of these variants are correct"!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-03-17 22:51:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps I should add that although in general repetition tends to be avoided in English, this does not apply to scientific papers, where repeating the same term frequently is perfectly acceptable. Accuracy and consistency are much more important than avoiding repetition. And arbitrary variations of spelling are inherently bad practice. If you use "estrus" in some places and "estrum" in others, readers will wonder why.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 09:22
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 78
Grading comment
Thank you

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard
8 mins
  -> Thanks, Phil

agree  Christine Andersen
26 mins
  -> Thanks, Christine :-)

agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
16 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina :-)

agree  Sina Salehi
16 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sina :-)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
estrum
Estrus for US English and Oestrus for UK English


Explanation:
Estrus for US English and Oestrus for UK English ...
Is my immediate thought. All the dictionaries I have consulted give Estrum as a variant and refer to Estrum or Oestrum.

English has no single body like L'Académie française or any of the other famous authorities on their respective languages.
That does not mean there are no rules, however, on the contrary!
There are in fact numerous sets of rules in English, and you should choose one. Which you choose will depend on your target readers.
The first rule is that you should be consistent. Choose one way of spelling the word and keep to it throughout your text.
Choose a dictionary and/or a style guide - or ask your client which you should follow. Mixing styles looks sloppy, which should definitely be avoided in writing about science!

The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam Webster dictionaries might be typical for the US, or I sometimes use the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide when proofreading for a particular client. US native speakers will be able to guide you better than I can.

As my personal default, I write British English, possibly slightly dated, based on Ernest Gowers, Greenbaum and Whitcut and Michael Swan.
I quote RL Trask when asked about punctuation.

Scientific journals have their preferred style guides, and anyone writing seriously on scientific subjects should develop a style that fits. The styles for different journals are often very similar, but if you want your paper published, it is essential to observe their rules.

That is a very brief answer - there are whole books on the subject...
I have books by John Swales and Christine Feak on my bookshelf.
But hey, this is KudoZ, not a major treatise :-)

Christine Andersen
Denmark
Local time: 09:22
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: Good advice, addressing the general premise of the question.
7 mins

agree  Tina Vonhof (X): Good suggestion to check journal style guides.
15 hrs
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