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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: conundrumpigeon eradication alka seltzer bread bromo seltzer addiction patricia seltzer alka seltzer cold non acetominophen bromo seltzer norman seltzer new york seltzer good health seltzer bottle alka seltzer speedy alka seltzer alka seltzer tablets value of seltzer bottle marked 36 seltzer bottles brooklyn ny daniel seltzer indiana seltzer bottle and cartridges polar seltzer ny seltzer seltzer bottles for sale seltzer bottle price suzanne seltzer what makes alka seltzer fizz everything to know about alka seltzer mr stephen seltzer teacher sam seltzer restaurantin tampa fl seltzer sprayers brian seltzer schedu e alka seltzer plus commercials gimme seltzer buy new york seltzer online seltzer cartridges susan block seltzer seltzer compressor manufacture seltzer port orange alka seltzer in ph scale alka seltzer immunity emmanuel seltzer seltzer maryland bromo seltzer baltimore md bottle pastor deon seltzer alka seltzer plus immunity complex psychiatrist abigail seltzer alka seltzer commercial aaron g seltzer esq alka seltzer bladder everything to know abot alka seltzer bromo seltzer bottles laurie seltzer seltzer cans doug seltzer nancy seltzer pr alka seltzer cough and cold 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. Lawrenceseltzer water co2 micheal seltzer alka seltzer plus immunity complex warnings alka seltzer song immanuel seltzer robert seltzer cobalt blue bromo seltzer bottle seltzer fish batter recipe alka seltzer plus ingredients seltzer water nutrition facts alka seltzer codes seltzer disconnects alka seltzer antacids project stephen seltzer brian seltzer band alka seltzer plus make seltzer water seltzer caplan tropical oasis i elaine seltzer seltzer bottle breaking dr gregory seltzer pa seltzer water home alka seltzer rocket results when was alka seltzer invented make submarine with alka seltzer dissolving alka seltzer ellyn seltzer alka seltzer recall alka seltzer gold jason seltzer eric seltzer tito speedy alka seltzer j seltzer canine pam seltzer christine seltzer ocean city md red plastic seltzer bottle series of 60s alka seltzer ads seltzer delivery bottles seltzer and vinegar mixture seltzer bottle collection steve seltzer honda isi austria seltzer bottle parts sparklets seltzer bottle seltzer bologna amreican seltzer company seltzer tablet science activities nancy seltzer publicist atlanta seltzer company seltzer water san francisco acquires seltzer cos inc D.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. 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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. seltzer chemicals seltzer tank alka seltzer rocket joel seltzer alka seltzer history george seltzer barry s seltzer alka seltzer water alka seltzer overdose seltzer water dispenser seltzer marijuana seltzer how to make seltzer machines seltzer metco eric seltzer batmobile forum enza seltzer steven seltzer seltzer bottles and cartridges seltzer 2 seltzer water plant growth research ray seltzer saul seltzer does alda seltzer react to pop experiments with alka seltzer terri seltzer attorney home seltzer maker elaine seltzer facts about alka seltzer alka seltzer gas relief make seltzer at home seltzer tabs club soda seltzer water is tonic the same as seltzer nicole seltzer and mayor steven m seltzer seltzer definition club soda seltzer difference alka seltzer cold medicine warning buy new york seltzer alka seltzer sea gulls alka seltzer warning 3d seltzer bottle ingredients of seltzer water issac wolpert seltzer alka seltzer motion sickness larry seltzer norton making seltzer water richard seltzer ebook alka seltzer ingredient produce alka seltzer 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? 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governing body chevy 350 driveshaft mysql insert david berman said humour fathers day verses butchers wolverhampton access vba step by step aqua tiger pump putty fica symptoms hu buzi Christopher 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 |