Posted by David Bamford on October 28, 2004 at 22:49:50 from 203.10.110.133 user David.
In Reply to: Re: despatch or dispatch posted by Mike Field on October 28, 2004 at 12:14:19:
Ah, the eccentricites of the world's most complex language! I have always thought that 'despatch' is a noun which applies to a message, either written or transmitted by field telephone during the heat of battle. 'Dispatch, on the other hand, is a adjective indicating some haste; eg. "with all dispatch".
There is similar confusion between an emigrant and an immigrant. The first [as I understand it] is leaving his previous country for another, and the second has arrived at his new abode.
David.