Andy Neil wrote:

"`criteria' is plural; the singular form is `criterion'."

Indeed. Even more confusing is when someone refers to the "Nyquist Criteria" when discussing how to avoid aliasing in sampled systems. (Forget it; it's Shannon's requirement, anyways.)

Of course, the classic example is "datum," which is the singular of the plural "data." Jeez, "Star Trek" mangles the language! In the future, perhaps "To boldly go" is no longer a split infinitive, and there's really more than one Commander Data. Didn't he show up in an episode of TNG?

-a