Spooky season may be over, but something still haunts dictionaries: ghost words. A dictionary saves the day when a crossword clue is too tough, when there are arguments about words, and even proves if you’re using a word correctly. So, we just expect its editors to know exactly what belongs on the page. However, in 1934 Webster’s New International Dictionary included the word “dord,” a word with a definition and a pronunciation, but one rather important distinction: It was a mistake.
Today’s Trivia Question
How did the nonexistent word “dord” make its way into the dictionary?
Bonus if you know the meaning assigned to dord.
| A Few More for Fun… |
Dord was an error, but words can acquire perfectly legitimate lives through changes in how people use or hear them. The difference is whether people actually adopt them.
What does Merriam-Webster generally look for before adding a new word to a general dictionary?
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
So, it was an abbreviation that led to this ghost word example. In other examples, an unexpected letter proves correct, a dictionary has a well-known author, and Hollywood takes to the streets to discover how people talk…
Who published An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828?
What famous film pairs Barbara Stanwyck’s nightclub singer character with Gary Cooper’s encyclopedia-writing professor?
Answers
| TODAY’S QUESTIONAnswer: D. The notation of “D or d” was misread as a word. A slip meant to explain an abbreviation was treated as a new entry. The letters were supposed to mean “capital D or lowercase d.” Instead, they were mistaken as the word “dord,” complete with a pronunciation. Bonus points if you knew it was defined as “density.” The error wasn’t discovered until 1939! | |
| 01 | Answer: B. Nickname. The boundary shifted from an ekename to a nickname. The “n” was moved from the article to the noun. Unlike dord, this was a change that became an established word in ordinary language rather than a dictionary accident. |
| 02 | Answer: D. Established use across a range of sources. Editors will gather examples showing how a word is used, what it means, and whether it has staying power. There is no magic number of votes that makes an invention an entry. The evidence comes from language already in use. |
| 03 | Answer: B. Tungsten. W comes from wolfram, another name for tungsten. A symbol can preserve a different name rather than match the English word, so it isn’t “wungsten,” or an error! |
| 04 | Answer: C. Noah Webster. Webster’s large dictionary appeared in 1828 after years of work. Webster would become so closely associated with dictionaries that it’s easy to forget it belonged to a single person and was a very large writing project. |
| 05 | Answer: C. Ball of Fire. In Ball of Fire, Cooper’s professor tries to learn more about modern slang, and Stanwyck’s character gives him more experience than he expects. His project is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary, but the problem of keeping up with language is a common theme. The next time the dictionary proves you wrong, just remember dord. It won’t win the argument, but may make your error a lot easier to bear. |
How did you do? Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for the bonus if you knew it. Perfect score: 7.
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