Peanutbutter

The other day I was perturbed that spellcheck did not recognize peanutbutter as a word. Several people pointed out that peanutbutter is actually peanut butter, but I think they're missing the point. I am aware that it is peanut butter. I want it to be peanutbutter. Because peanut butter is butter made from peanuts, not a combination of butter and peanuts. Thus it should be a single word.

Aaron says it makes perfect sense because apple butter is not applebutter and aloe lotion is not aloelotion, even though apple butter is butter made from apples not a combination of butter and apples, and that aloe lotion is aloe made into a lotion not aloe added to an already existing lotion. Furthermore, he makes note, is that strawberry jelly is not strawberryjelly.

I say, "Why aren't they?" They should be. Well, at least in the case of apple butter and maybe even strawberry jelly. Though aloelotion is really fun to say. Go on, say it to yourself out loud. I'll wait.

Aaron made the point that coffee cup is also two words. To which I argued that that makes sense. It is coffee in a cup. Two separate things. The coffee and the cup. Though I added in the case of teacup. Which probably started out as tea cup but was later changed because tea is the only thing that goes into a teacup. I have no basis for this assumption other that it makes perfect sense in my head. So maybe one day it will be coffeecup.

In the end, we had to agree to disagree because we just kept going in circles with it.