Anniversary - misunderstood meaning, but why?

To answer the title's question - it's because a lot of people don't know, or don't care about the precise meaning of the word .

I agree about "six-month anniversary" that is nonsense, due to the fact that no-one knows that anniversary means that the year has come round to the date again.

However, although I would myself say we were celebrating the second anniversary of something in preference to the two -year anniversary, but surely these two expressions mean the same thing?

Yes, grandtanteJE65, the two expressions do mean the same thing, but using the ordinal number (such as thirty-fifth anniversary) rather than the cardinal (thirty-five year anniversary) sounds a lot quicker and less unwieldy to me. Also, if it's not broke...

There seems to be a tendency to put extra words into all sorts of expressions. My bugbears (which I have mentioned before) are horse riding, ice skating and parking up, which used to be known as riding, skating and parking. Royal Mail has now given us another one with its stamp swap -or swap out as it prefers to call it!!

Wheniwasyourage Surely you cannot just say riding or skating

It could be horse, cycle or motorbike riding. Skating can be ice, roller or inline.

Yes, you could. There was a time, not so long ago, when riding and skating were taken to mean riding a horse and skating on ice. Riding a bike is cycling or riding a bike, riding a motorbike or a llama would be specified, and other forms of skating would also be specified. You don't need to agree with me, but I do not agree that I am wrong!

A monthly event would be a mensiversary.

Living languages evolve and change, otherwise we wouldn’t have names for modern inventions such as all the technology we have nowadays.

I do sort of agree & I can see where you are coming from.
Perhaps new wording is required , ie we are celebrating the 5th 10th 20th versary of our special occasion ???

On the subject of extra words a local business is advertising a 'feline cattery' is this a tautology?

Wheniwasyourage

What has happened to the word "anniversary"? An anniversary is something which comes round every year, so you have the first anniversary, then the second anniversary and so on. However, I am increasingly seeing "two-year anniversary", "five-year anniversary", and even worse, "six-month anniversary"! Meaningless or what?

Thank you. Rant over.

Or indeed 'Jubilee'. But on second thoughts I don't really mind

sodapop

On the subject of extra words a local business is advertising a 'feline cattery' is this a tautology?

I believe so.
That sounds so stupid.

A Canine Kennel, an Equine Stables… you’ve got me at it now..

It’s even worse that the actual word ‘cat’ is in it.

think I may have to point out their error FC

It is proper to say "riding" or "going for a hack" when riding a horse. \It does not need qualifying as there are relatively few camels in GB! The Americans are even worse when they say "horse-back riding" - you are hardly going to sit on its head, after all.

LilyoftheValley

I was thinking of riding in a different way, ‘Jack was riding through the park’ I would assume riding a bike rather than a horse. However, I am going riding would make me think of a horse.