Is "criterion" considered archiac? Forum

[BillsFan9907]

From what I am seeing, the use of criteria in a singular sense is now considered the norm despite its previously being plural. Please confirm.

[drawstring]

I still here criterion used most of the time among the educated. If someone uses criteria it's because they don't know the distinction, not because it's now acceptable to use it that sense.

[DrStudMuffin]

[rinkrat19]

Doesn't look like it has achieved the acceptability of 'agenda' yet. Probably someday.

The plural criteria has been used as a singular for over half a century <let me now return to the third criteria — R. M. Nixon> <that really is the criteria — Bert Lance>. Many of our examples, like the two foregoing, are taken from speech. But singular criteria is not uncommon in edited prose, and its use both in speech and writing seems to be increasing. Only time will tell whether it will reach the unquestioned acceptability of agenda.

Usage Note: Like the analogous etymological plurals agenda and data, criteria is widely used as a singular form. Unlike them, however, it is not yet acceptable in that use.

Usage note
Like some other nouns borrowed from the Greek, criterion has both a Greek plural, criteria, and a plural formed on the English pattern, criterions. The plural in -a occurs with far greater frequency than does the -s plural: These are the criteria for the selection of candidates. Although criteria is sometimes used as a singular, most often in speech and only infrequently in edited prose, in standard English, it is more clearly used as a plural with criterion as the singular.

[papercut]

Kinda unrelated, but man do I hate reading "data" used as a plural. I think it was the editor of the Guardian that said it sounded "hypercorrect."

"The data are here."

ugh

"Where will the data lead us? They will show that..."

*Barf*

[Dingo Starr]

nerds.
i mean it lovingly, though.