IDENTITY, IDENTIFICATION.—­Identity is “the state of being the same.” Identification denotes “the act of determining what a given thing, or who a given person, is.”

IMPORT, IMPORTANCE.—­Import, in the sense of “meaning,” must be distinguished from importance, “the quality of being important.”

INVENTION, DISCOVERY.—­We invent something new, contrived or produced for the first time.  We discover what existed before, but remained unknown.

LIMIT, LIMITATION.—­Limit, in the sense of “bound,” is preferable to limitation, since limitation also means “the act of limiting,” or a “restriction.”

LOT, NUMBER.—­Lot denotes “a distinct part or parcel”:  as, “The auctioneer sold the goods in ten lots.”  The word does not mean “a great number”; therefore it is improperly used in the sentences:  “He has lots of money,” and “I know a lot of people in New York.”

MAJORITY, PLURALITY.—­A majority is more than half the whole number; a plurality is the excess of votes given for one candidate over those given for another, and is not necessarily a majority when there are more than two candidates.

NEGLIGENCE, NEGLECT.—­“Negligence is used of a habit or trait; neglect, of an act or succession of acts."[36]

NOVICE, NOVITIATE.—­Novice properly means one who is new in any business or calling; novitiate, the state or time of being a novice.

ORGANISM, ORGANIZATION.—­An organism is a “living body composed of a number of essential parts.” Organization denotes “the act of organizing,” or “an organized body of persons,” as a literary society.

PART, PORTION.—­“Part is the general word for that which is less than the whole:  as, the whole is equal to the sum of all its parts.... Portion is often used in a stilted way where part would be simpler and better; portion has always some suggestion of allotment or assignment:  as, this is my portion; a portion of Scripture.  ’Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.’"[37]

PLENTY, ABUNDANCE.—­Plenty is enough; abundance, more than enough.

PRODUCE, PRODUCT, PRODUCTION.—­Produce is always collective, and is used only of raw products:  as, the produce of the soil, of the flock. Product denotes the result of some operation, usually physical labor. Production, meaning “the act of producing,” is also applied to a work of literature or art, as a book, a statue, or a painting. “Product, in the sense of ‘thing produced,’ is preferable to production, since production is also used in an abstract sense."[38]

PROMINENCE, PREDOMINANCE.—­Prominence means “a standing out from something, so as to be conspicuous.” Predominance denotes “ascendency,” “a superiority in strength or influence,” “an over-ruling.”  There may be many prominent traits in a person’s character; there can be only one predominant trait.