I sent an email to a project manager outside my team, copying in my boss and others working on this project.

Ten seconds later, both my managers are guffawing and pointing at me.

‘Eventuate?!’ they laughed. ‘Joan, you’ve got to stop making up words! This isn’t the first time…’

‘Wha–?’ I started.

They were in hysterics because I had written: ‘The team believes this is the cautious approach because they cannot be sure that the political push towards a low emissions zone will eventuate.’

Other teamates soon joined my managers in mocking me.

‘It’s a real word!’ I protested. ‘I’ll show you!’

Alarmed, I typed ‘eventuate’ into my Dictionary.com search engine, and it came up:

e·ven·tu·ate
–verb (used without object), -at·ed, -at·ing.

1. to have issue; result.
2. to be the issue or outcome; come about.

[Origin: 1780–90; Americanism; < L éventu(s) event + -ate1]

‘Oh!’ I said, chagrined. ‘Oh dear. It’s an Americanism! I didn’t know.’

Luckily, the person I had emailed was visiting from San Francisco. She, at least, would understand my message.