RE: New words - where have you found them?

[Lynne Wright <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- tiburoninc -dot- com>]

The new words link was the best... now I know that "mouse potato" is the perfect word for certain people I know.

In the end, when it comes to words, you can't beat the professional linguists @ Merriam-Webster/ Oxford et al.  

Its actually interesting as to how they determine which words to accept as official new entries to the language, and how they research/determine the first "known" usage... which has something to do it appearing in print (or, I suppose these days, on certain web sites) enough times, in enough "qualified" publications. 

With English as mutatable as it is, they've got to have defined protocols surrounding when to elevate a term from slang that's tossed around on the streets (or, regrettably for you, in school yards) before they determine that its got enough legs (in terms of widespread usage and staying power) to be formally welcomed into the language. 



-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Lauren
Sent: Monday, August 08, 2011 4:17 PM
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: New words - where have you found them?

This got me thinking (that can be dangerous) of dictionaries for new words.

M-W has a sample list of new words.  
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/new_words.htm

They also have a list of word that were new in 1806 when M-W was new.  
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/reform-glossary.htm

I wonder why unibrow is a "new" word in the 2006 edition and its first "known" use is in 1988.  I was teased for having a unibrow in 1978.

Lauren, two brows now.


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