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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 TwentyIt 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: conundrumtj samson hospital glasgow ky fifth third bank tj maxx gerryplans for tj rock rails tj jared corbin fisher tj belnap mckesson community involvementtj reborg tj edwards childrens books biography tj maxx homegoods charlotte tj radio install gumbo99 tj alternator output high tj kids terajoule tj jeep tj fender jeep tj suspension orange tea recipetj maxx ohio tj heighton keishajeep tj add a trunk mitsubishi executive tj 2002 hamnholmen tj rn tj commercial pt jeep tj pictures hanson bumper northwood casino lyndentj 100 tokoroa nz tj turn sigles do not work borrow life insurance tax liabilitytj electric fan replacement subwoofers for wrangler tj tj bark mulch tj maxx gift cards nick and tj corbin fisher discoverdr tj eckleburg tj front axle swao tj ward yugen 00 jeep tj a c dead wrangler tj lift kit ga pacific rincon fatalitytj maxx jewelry hb bladestj downing cardinals jeep tj roof rack building jeep tj grill hoop symtoms of prostaitisjeep tj dash vent switch panel vickers tj cylinder tj smith pinno buick97 tj wrangler accesories home goods marshalls tj maxx tj max pr campaign cost tj jackson tj mexico massage apparatustj roller rockers tj cloutier tj front suspension how many times does bangladesh floodjeep wrangler tj seats survivability key performance parameterlive webcams tj mexico more incorporated tj rohleder tj cylinder tj maxx scottsdale arizona arlington developmental centerfreeones tj hart jeep tj blower motor resistor tj headlight replacement jeep tj factory radio mythbusters hdrdentist in tj mexico jeep tj front suspension diagram walleyetj cloyd tj gaghan tj power stering box prince tj tube fender jeep tj tj hardware hot tj big brother pics hinton wv comedy showriktlinjer tj nstebil k rjournal christ ministries church of godtj davis tj relays complimentary newspapertj maxx printable coupons top mail tj tj drag link temporal dispersion waveform on emg testtj max stores in newjersey warez geektj led flasher relay tj truss tj max locations georgia tj maxx and hadley ma tj irvin esa vcr websitejeep tj parts tj maxx pa tj clark amy landrus baja tj amigos tj vandalism tj maxx credit monitoring tj houshmandzadeh tj tomasi 1999 tj specs ace and tj sange news jeep wrangler tj for sale The 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?). 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. From the Mail Servertj win and boston css padding 0px 0px 1px 0pxtj ls1 engine swap tj mazz tj speaker brackets arlene raijmantj maxx bear and muscletj max dept stores tj maxx pr campaign cost bente tj svoll tj luger tj oshie girlfriend november class submarines rottingforensic chemistry tj kennedy wacky uses for householdjeep tj 37s tj berrytales jeep tj brake lights f rm nsbeskattning tj nstebil jeep tj relays nfl tj ducket and dowagiac michigan tj s lap band journey jeep tj tube flares tj bot worcester allina pediatricianstowing tj wrangler what is fica taxtj potter trucking becker mn brigade outfitterstj baby tj bearytales cartridge tj wrestling tj peter jeep tj tri link olaf nazarenusjeep tj part tj cigar wwii camp denali locationtj ablay tj 300b mesh anode tube review tires sizes for 2006 jeep tj tertj outriggers tj flavored cigar 1 body lift tj tj maxx monroe nc george green camelottj thomas yuba laketj s parts express tj osbourne ukiahjeep wrangler tj nerf bar tj nstem n sverige tyskland stagingtj and joe pictures pretty peoplejeep tj shifter transfercase bracket proximal bicep tendinosis surgerytj china go karts tlc tj tj adcox whisperingtricycle conversions tj tj auner jeep tj for sale lori habermann carthagejeep wrangler tj 2002 console ranchojeep tj chrome door handles jeep tj 318 engine swap movies 6 in plainview texasskyjacker high clearance belly pan tj tj lottie tj re 5.5 coils trike conversions tj cycles tj michaels sun city dragonfly backpackhotell tj dern sheridan seal kittj band latham courttj corbin fisher change tj gearing passive eq switched preamp schematicpolyperformance tj tj hart mpegs tj sullivan bai vpi 37 tj tj maxx store california fred phelps fall from gracewrangler tj alignment specs hawkeye management services laguna beach califjeep tj hardtop wiper fortytj tucker bosstj mas tj jagodowski workshop notes 31 x10.5 stock tj talking with tj maritime confederation humourtj 2.5l high volume oil pump uitgeverij prometheuswrecking magna tj nsw australia jeep lift reviews tj concealedace tj show cruise tj hoppe tj heim front strut tj maxx warehouse in charlotte qian dao hu99 jeep tj code 1492 tj unlimited dimensions tj jeep bumpers jeep tj rear glass wont close tj border collies connect stock stereo in tj jeep tj and friends bike ride ga This 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 |