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Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:05 am
by saladfiend
For many years, my understanding has been that "ensure" means to guarantee an event or condition, while "insure" means limiting financial liability (typically through insurance). I've noticed this year (as a 1L) that many judges (including even Justice Kennedy in a concurrence in United States v. Lopez) use the word "insure" for both definitions. What do you make of this?

Re: Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:57 am
by MrKappus
saladfiend wrote:What do you make of this?
That you have a lot of time on your hands.

Jk. I make of it that J. Kennedy uses the 2nd definition of insure, which M-Webster online says is "to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions."

Re: Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:25 am
by CanadianWolf
"What do you make of this ?"

That his law clerk had a somewhat limited vocabulary.

Re: Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:36 am
by saladfiend
It's not just Justice Kennedy though. I've seen this throughout the casebooks.

Re: Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:42 am
by deathviaboredom
I googled it. I think this is TCR:

According to Associated Press style, to “ensure” that something happens is to make certain that it does, and to “insure” is to issue an insurance policy. Other authorities, however, consider “ensure” and “insure” interchangeable. To please conservatives, make the distinction. However, it is worth noting that in older usage these spellings were not clearly distinguished.

I would personally distinguish them, but it's not lack of education that results in their conflation.

Re: Insure/ensure?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:04 pm
by CanadianWolf
Oxford English Dictionary cites "ensure" as a one word definition of "insure" under the second definition of "insure".

"Ensure" is defined as "make safe or certain".