Merriam-Webster OnLine (https://www.merriam-webster.com/), America’s premiere online language center is debuting another innovative feature. Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary is a real-time chronicle of new words and senses based entirely on contributions from its users.
Developed to provide a forum for word lovers to share words they haven’t yet seen in the dictionary, the new feature invites visitors to submit their lexical discoveries with definitions, example sentences, and documentation of words used in context. Though still in its development stages, the interactive Open Dictionary is already providing an informative and often amusing look at the latest words and phrases catching the attention of Merriam-Webster’s online community.
Some contributions to the Open Dictionary are words currently on the radar screen of Merriam-Webster’s editors. Take, for example, the entry phish — defined by a user as a verb to describe, "the sending of an e-mail which falsely claims to be from an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information."
Equally topical are blame game (noun: "deflecting from your own guilt or culpability by blaming other people or circumstances that led to the situation"), fangirl/boy (noun: "a girl or boy that has an obsession with a person, place, or thing, sometimes stemming from a TV series, movie, or manga/anime"), and gastroporn (noun: "detailed descriptions and/or photographs of extremely delectable food as found in magazines, cookbooks, and television cooking shows").
Still other entries are submitted just for fun, such as the recent dachshundheidt, which, according to the word’s author, is "what you say to a wiener dog when it sneezes."
A major inspiration for this new feature was a survey conducted earlier this year where Merriam-Webster OnLine asked users "What’s Your Favorite Word (Not in the Dictionary?)." Many of the top submissions for this popular survey are making return appearances in the Open Dictionary including the #1 favorite, ginormous ("bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous").
Submissions to the Open Dictionary are updated several times throughout the day, and are searchable alphabetically, by "most recent entries," and even by category (anatomy, business, popular culture, etc.). There is a helpful guideline to ease newcomers into the art of lexicography, and although anonymous entries are welcomed, contributors are urged to submit their names to get credit for their well-crafted definitions.
For additional information on Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary or to arrange an interview on this topic with one of Merriam-Webster’s editors, please contact Arthur J. Bicknell, Senior Publicist, at the above address.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
Merriam-Webster Inc. acquired the rights to revise and publish Noah Webster’s dictionaries in 1843. Since then, Merriam-Webster has maintained an ongoing commitment to innovation, scholarship, and love of language. Today, the company continues as the leader in both print and electronic language reference publishing with reference products, learning tools, and word games. For more information about the company, and about Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, visit Merriam-Webster OnLine at https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
This article was last modified on January 8, 2023
This article was first published on November 18, 2005
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