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I'm normally use to the word "optional" but there is also the word "facultative" ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facultative ) which also seems to mean "optional".

I encountered "facultative" when one of my French co-workers wrote an English text. Initially I thought it's wrong and just a false friend, but then I was able to look it up and confirm that "facultative" can mean "optional"

So my question is

Are there subtle differences?
When should one use one, when the other?

In computer science would both of the following be correct:
"facultative function argument" / "optional function argument"?

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    please help me understand why this question should be closed. I personally am happy as I got my response, but I'd like to ask next time questions that are up to the expected SE standards. and if possible I'd like to edit the question such, that it is of use to others. (In fact I edited already and I'm waiting for feedback)
    – gelonida
    Commented Feb 9, 2022 at 13:15
  • thanks for reopening my question. Hopefully my edits made the question more useful and compliant with SE standards
    – gelonida
    Commented Feb 9, 2022 at 15:58

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While facultative certainly does exist, and does have "optional" as one of its meanings, it is very rare and many (most?) native speakers would not understand it; indeed some dictionaries do not list it.

Unless you have a very specific reason for using it, "optional" will always be better - especially in the example mentioned in the question, since "optional (function) argument" is already a well-understood term.

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  • Thanks! As mentioned in my question, I personally use optional, but recently read an English text written by a French person, which used facultative. Initially I thought it is wrong (a false friend), but then looked it up a saw it existed and wanted to know more.
    – gelonida
    Commented Feb 9, 2022 at 11:01
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    @gelonida: Ah, that would make sense - yes, it is basically a false friend; facultatif is the normal French word for "optional", and while facultative does technically exist in English, it's so rarely used that many people won't recognise it.
    – psmears
    Commented Feb 9, 2022 at 11:04
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    Facultative is likely to be confused with words such as facilitatory, facility, faculty, facileness, or others, which have various meanings, but are often connected with making easy or being easy.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Feb 9, 2022 at 16:08

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