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If the word is a field-specific technical term, a possibility based on the
sentence you gave us, then it needs to be defined. In the case you cite, I
would expect the definition to be immediately before the sentence you quote,
with that sentence being an example of the term.
However, your comments seem to indicate that it is not a field-specific
term, otherwise you would probably know it. I went to the dictionary I call
"Big Blue," my trusty Webster's Third International Dictionary, Unabridged.
"Idempotent" is not listed therein.
The word "idem" was mentioned, however, and its definition may offer a clue
to where your product specialist was heading. "something previously
mentioned. Used chiefly in bibliographies to avoid repetition of author's
name and title when a reference to an item immediately follows another to
the same item."
It's times like these that I wish I had my OED in the office, too. Alas, it
is at home.
Tom Murrell
Senior Technical Writer, Alliance Data Systems, Inc.
CAD4A - (614)729-4364
Fax: (614)729-4499 mailto:tmurrell -at- alldata -dot- net
> ----------
> From: Sybille Sterk[SMTP:sybille -at- WOWFABGROOVY -dot- NET]
> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 5:10 AM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: idempotent
>
> Dear all,
>
> In one of my manuals which is an update from a previous version I have the
> following sentence:
>
> "Exhaustive skeletonisation will continue to reduce the size of the object
> until the medial axis is found; we can therefore say the skeletonisation
> is
> an idempotent operation."
>
> This sentence has been written by a product specialist and although the
> word 'idempotent' struck me as odd I didn't query it at the time, thinking
> the product specialist knew what he was talking about. However now one of
> the proof-readers has queried it,too, and I thought I find out if anyone
> knows what it means and if it is used correctly in this context. (I tried
> to look it up in a few dictionaries but couldn't find it, so I am not even
> sure if it is a real word or just made-up.)
>
> Any ideas?
>
> TIA,
>
> Sybille
>
>
>
> Sybille Sterk
> Technical Author and Translator (German)
> email: sybille -at- wofabgroovy -dot- net
>
> From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=
> =
>
>
>
