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How does a word go into the dictionary?
Have you ever wondered how a word gets into the dictionary?
Does one person decide or have to go through many people before being allowed to publish?
In this article, we will look at how a word enters a dictionary.
So how does it get into the dictionary then?
Simply put, a word is entered into the dictionary as it becomes the most commonly used word.
New words, such as slang and acronyms, are added to the dictionary as they begin to appear on a significant number of sources and are spoken often.
Once a word is in common use and there is understanding of a common meaning, it can be considered to be added to the dictionary.
However, this process is not instantaneous and can take years to appear in the dictionary.
Who put a word in the dictionary?
The name of a person who put words together in a dictionary is a lexicographer.
A dictionary will monitor the use of a new word, on printed material, online and spoken word.
First, they gather information about where the word was written, printed, or heard along with contextual meaning.
From there, a research database is created and researchers actively look for the use of this word on different platforms.
Once complete evidence has been compared and a solid meaning has been found, the word can be given to print in the latest edition of the dictionary.
The Oxford English Dictionary is updated four times a year.
Only one dictionary?
There is more than one dictionary, but in English, the Oxford English dictionary is the most reliable and well established.
The Oxford Dictionary has a long history, containing about 600,000 words and 3 million quotes.
When Oxford embarked on creating their first dictionary, they estimated that it would take about 10 years to complete.
The word "ant" is achieved after 5 years of hard work and they realize it is an ambitious task.
They began working in August 1879 and it was not until 1928 that the final volume was published, which took almost 50 years to complete.
Is it possible to take a word out of the dictionary?
It is very rare that a word has been deleted from the dictionary.
The Oxford English dictionaries claim that they have never removed a word from their dictionary.
Instead, if a word has become obsolete or the meaning has evolved or changed, the word will be labeled as outdated.
The concept of a dictionary is a record of all the words that ever existed in the language in which it is recording.
For example, if you are reading a book from 1920 and there is a word you don't recognize, you can use the dictionary to find out.
Why was the dictionary invented?
The desire to record the language dates back thousands of years with the first non-alphabet dictionary written in 1582 by Richard Mulcaster.
This dictionary contains 8,000 English words but the book contains only words that are considered complex.
Then, the first full English dictionary was written in 1604 by Robert Cawdrey.
The idea is to record the English language with word meanings for a final record that is accessible to everyone.
Much later in 1857, the London Literature Association decided to have a record of all the words that have been used in English since the 12th century.
This is when the idea of the Oxford English Dictionary came into being.
Are there more words added today than before?
An average of 500-1000 words are added to the Oxford dictionary each year.
It may feel like more words are added to the dictionary today than in the 20th century, but this is not necessarily the case.
One possibility is that as our connections and communications develop, our ability to identify new words becomes easier, and therefore more new words may emerge today.
In short, any word you can imagine can be added to the dictionary, first it just needs to get popular.
When a word is commonly used on multiple platforms by a diverse group of people, it can be considered for inclusion in the dictionary.
It should also have a set significance, so it could take years for this to become apparent.
