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Merriam-Webster on TwitterFollow Merriam-Webster on Twitter for daily observations about language and words in the news, including insights into the most looked up words on Merriam-Webster.com and discourse on new words and language trends. Receive tweets about fresh editorial content on the newly redesigned Merriam-Webster.com, with features like Trend Watch and Word Well Used, which highlights interesting vocabulary effectively used by the world's leading news and entertainment publications. September 2010Summer Top Twentygryphon and the dragonfly culture of gambiadragonfly 35 sailboat dragonfly wings beating dragonfly foot tattoo dragonfly for kids organic taro rootthe dragonfly in myth springsteendragonfly information dragonfly clothes carolelife cycle of the dragonfly poweredge 2600 specsgiant dragonfly movie dragonfly clothing company windshield wiper fluid concentratesan antonio bands dragonfly sheridan lelibellula pulchella dragonfly cha charvamoana and dragonfly and santa barbara dragonfly kite myspace dragonfly ny female dragonfly rhinestone pin wholesale fairy and dragonfly tattoo patterns sky hover dragonfly the heins emerald dragonfly dragonfly door book torrent emerald dragonfly dragonfly jenny stella custerdragonfly motorcycle fairing north shore plainview hospitalrc walkera 22e dragonfly mythbusters episode 25dragonfly landing radio control dragonfly helicopter celtic dragonfly 11th brigade ft blissdragonfly poetry enrollmentwhat is dragonfly glass dragonfly buttons walkera dragonfly 36 free online spyro enter the dragonfly vanessa hudgens photo and blogmyspace dragonfly utica ny 35 van cort dragonfly intercept shieldbona vista dragonfly fabric saratoga rare trackus dragonfly species dragonfly designs images automobile leasing residualsdragonfly scrapbook reba mcentire brother patedragonfly and company dragonfly pattern ribbon embroidery dragonfly restaurant ohio dragonfly art tattoo free dragonfly pattern dragonfly hearts concrete block moldsdragonfly tattoes dragonfly quilt fabric essays francais boucher pastoraldragonfly productions dragonfly blue interior paint totem dragonfly dragonfly shawl by lisa naskrent 49104 prairie dragonfly mini-pendant alpharettawall clocks with dragonfly ftpdragonfly folklore dragonfly 37 upgrades scientific name of a dragonfly raw 7 dragonfly wrap meaning symbol dragonfly dragonfly flying toys fungal infections candida diet control symptomsdragonfly park guelph ontario dragonfly valentines dragonfly native american story teller ipod users manualdragonfly graphic mansionsdragonfly games ios press home pagedragonfly glass beads doodlin dragonfly blog dragonfly fossil reasons teach holocaustwalkera dragonfly iv 4-channel micro electric dragonfly metal art sdm dragonfly iris folding dragonfly diamond dragonfly ring two tone kenai alaska frost joneshigh resolution dragonfly wings lyrics to breezytiffany dragonfly the creeping womandragonfly compact dragonfly tiffany style night light myspace layout with dragonfly frog dance lao thaidragonfly markii 17 hp notebookquickutz revolution dragonfly die blue dragonfly clark county washington dragonfly low dragonfly music boxes dragonfly gainesville florida dragonfly outboard chicken and sausage gumbo emerill lagasse It was a long, hot summer – and one very rich in vocabulary! The most looked-up word all summer was a word that is not in the dictionary: refudiate, the malaprop used by former Gov. Sarah Palin on television and Twitter. The word caused much comment and provoked much research – putting the word repudiate in the Summer Top Twenty as well. Unsurprisingly, the Gulf oil spill and blockbuster films also provided some of the summer's biggest lookups.Word History of the Month: conundrumThe word conundrum is a perennial on the Top 20 list – including this summer's list. Many words that are among the most looked-up on a daily basis are abstract terms with classical roots (think integrity or ubiquitous). Conundrum would seem to fit right in with them. But does it? Something about the word is unsettling – enough for people to be constantly looking it up – and perhaps a bit mysterious. Notable and Quotable: D.H. LawrenceD.H. Lawrence was born September 11, 1885. Long troubled by ill health, the poet, critic, and novelist (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Sons and Lovers) died at 44. Samples of his writing appear at some five dozen entries in the Unbridged, the more colorful of them included here. (When was the last time you encountered "everywhere" used as a noun?). the dainty dragonfly januarydragonfly protect dragonfly tattoo pictures car window decals dragonfly fatalityhow do you catch a dragonfly dragonfly costume wings spinedragonfly layouts for myspace fetco dragonfly frame pictures pretty peopleviking dragonfly for sale white dragonfly optiondragonfly tiles widediscovery radio control dragonfly review eric bossdragonfly rock clothes confidential consent agreementsdragonfly pattern dragonfly colors dragonfly annex vancouver washington tiffany dragonfly diagram concealed carry reciprocity with washington statestained glass and dragonfly dragonfly airways flight schedule smallest dragonfly dragonfly stove wind walker unpluggeddragonfly sketches dragonfly bathroom set dragonfly lights dragonfly scotland jewellry dragonfly wire art aaliyah told justindragonfly toilet seat wingsmaster i-wings rc dragonfly south africa flytech dragonfly video dragonfly flame f-style mandolin reviews implications of openning an attachmentwillo tree with dragonfly handcrafted dragonfly cuff braceletdragonfly modules dragonfly glasses dragonfly and company pendant lights sign of dragonfly animated dragonfly clipart syma dragonfly gold dragonfly post earrings elizabeth patton elliot factsdragonfly sofa throws and slipcovers lewes policedale tiffany dragonfly floor lamp on broadway restaurantdragonfly posters complimentary endingdragonfly wings for beading dragonfly patio lights dragonfly leather stamp jewelry tools walkera dragonfly 60 special dragonfly cycle products rtfree dragonfly patteren leucorrhinia pectoralis dragonfly mythology of red dragonfly mosaic photos of dragonfly dragonfly damselfly identification dragonfly diet bromo dragonfly dragonfly drones dragonfly fossils supernova free full length moviesfabric dragonfly homebuilt dragonfly airplane for sale rule ittmichigan ceramics dragonfly niagara falls dragonfly cub dragonfly encyclopidia life of dragonfly dragonfly store dragonfly blinkies dragonfly art pink set 3 silver dragonfly jewelry ted ter horstsynopsis of dragonfly northwoodvietnam china pottery dragonfly dragonfly perfume bottle dragonfly spirit american involvement in world war iiwowwee robotic dragonfly instruction dragonfly wind spinners frigidaire gallery glef369ddragonfly property management mtndragonfly faring dragonfly fantasy pictures dragonfly templates dragonfly homebuilt airplanes small dragonfly tatoos fred meyer rewards carddragonfly perfume bottles dragonfly in harrisburg pa airplane show minnesota oshkoshdragonfly p dragonfly tv light and color caller id spoof freeviolet dancer dragonfly retractable dog leash with bagdragonfly audio stereo mic pre walkera dragonfly 60 tuning overclocking Interested in seeing all the examples of a particular writer? Select the Collegiate or the Unabridged as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type in the surname of the writer in the Author Quoted box, and click on Search.dragonfly stencils driveshaft shortening charlotte ncdragonfly print hanbag dragonfly cycle concepts syma dragonfly 2-ch electric monogrammed playing cardsdragonfly riesling fall out boy-thanks fr th mrsdragonfly massage in shanghai ideas for dragonfly costume promotionsdragonfly movie project dragonfly wowwee dragonfly motorola cellular telephonesgreen darner dragonfly dragonfly sofa throw jurassic shopdragonfly soap dispenser dragonfly breeders dragonfly food darner dragonfly wolverhamptondragonfly e-cards half banded red dragonfly classification clipit dragonfly roversdragonfly door knocker how to make costume dragonfly wings glass art dragonfly structure of a dragonfly rinconfly tec dragonfly stagingblue scarlet dragonfly harley dragonfly rc helicopter dragonfly wire dragonfly romote control dragonfly dragonfly ranch remember cert checkbox default settingdragonfly mating habits richmond california dragonfly marijuana photos dragonfly tattoo fishpond dragonfly pottery barn dragonfly baby bedding pedal pushers with dragonfly print a-37 dragonfly hasegawa burials odd fellows cemetary philadelphia paprintable pattern for dragonfly wings measuringdragonfly wedding invitations dragonfly thank you notes frog and dragonfly shower curtains lower back dragonfly tattoos dragonfly poster walkera dragonfly 36b dragonfly apparel d-vhs mpeg2 transport stream capturedragonfly body parts dragonfly columbus oh dragonfly restaurant chicago whitewater in atlanta gacalfee dragonfly spyro enter the dragonfly ps2 cheats where to buy jeremy scott dressdragonfly wings sounds burt reynolds trans amdragonfly mark on hunting knife blades dragonfly and lifespan the life cycle of a dragonfly dragonfly wallpaper for computer hollydragonfly video scott f eldridgeblown glass dragonfly red dragonfly dragonfly toy mei tai gray dragonfly dragonfly stuff wetlandamerock dragonfly knobs barefoot female judo russiansdragonfly compressor dragonfly mkii hasbro playsetsdragonfly themed weddings red dragonfly in wy dragonfly biplane print asus m2n-sli deluxedragonfly tattoo art dragonfly vase dragonfly zipper pulls digraph ghdazzling dragonfly windchimes kit faber-castell dazdragonfly decoration symbolism of dragonfly aidadragonfly earrings mtbe soil contaminationdragonfly radio controlled helicopter 9100 syma fly dragonfly groovy desktop wallpapersdragonfly pendant opal dragonfly alimentary canal probabilityFrom the Mail ServerThis month, editors heard from someone zealous about the need to add a new word to the lexicon, from another person looking for the rich story behind the word cheapskate, and from a set of correspondents eager to understand the rule that distinguishes vowels from consonants. Happy Birthday 1666The Great Fire of London began raging on September 2, 1666. By the time the fire ended three days later, St. Paul's Cathedral, more than 13,000 houses, and dozens of churches had been destroyed. A new London (with less wood) arose from the ashes. The year of the Great Fire also witnessed the first print appearance of 65 words in English that appear in the Collegiate Dictionary. We can see the expanding worlds of science and discovery reflected in these words from fields such as astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Interested in seeing all 65 words that first appeared in print in 1666? Choose the Collegiate as your reference source and select Date from the pull-down menu. Type in the date and click on Search. Words in the NewsSarah Palin sent this message out on Twitter on July 18: "Ground Zero mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate." This sent refudiate to the top of the Top Twenty for the summer. Why the buzz? For starters, refudiate is not (yet) in the dictionary. Then there was the controversy over subsequent tweets from Gov. Palin, first changing refudiate to repudiate, and then defending her coinage, invoking Shakespeare: "English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!" Language watchers debated whether refudiate was a portmanteau or a malapropism. The blend is easy to figure out (refute or refuse + repudiate). But what's the story on malapropism? Just Foolin' AroundChristopher Nolan's hit movie Inception propelled the word inception to #2 on the Summer Top Twenty. The word inception – which stresses the notion of commencing or beginning without any implication about cause – has an ancestor in capere, Latin for to take. Taking a minute to fool around with the Latin verb capere turns up more than three dozen other English words with capere in their background. Language LinksInterest in refudiate reminds us of the eggcorn. An eggcorn is a sort of "nonce folk etymology" coinage – a word coined through a logical reshaping of an unfamiliar word. For example, someone who has never seen the word acorn in print might well guess the word is eggcorn from its pronunciation. Eggcorns, unlike malapropisms, make sense. But unlike words coined through folk etymology, eggcorns are not recognized as "real" words. (For more on malapropisms and Folk Etymology, just click on those highlighted words in the previous sentence.) For a list of common eggcorns, check out the Eggcorn Database. The "About" section includes an explanation distinguishing eggcorns from folk etymology and mondegreens (some time ago Language Links featured links to collections of the related mondegreen). Back to Top |