David Zapatka
Are you as fascinated with the creation of new words as I am? I find the people who create new words deliciously inventive and their new words fun to learn.
While reading an article titled Literary Wordmakers by my friend, Richard Lederer, I ran across this sentence, “Although the identities of most of these wordmakers are lost in the mist of history, we do know who were the creators of a number of neologisms or ‘new words.’”
Neologism—ne·ol·o·gism noun: a new word, usage, or expression
Neologistic—adjective
Origin and Etymology—borrowed from French néologisme “the habit of forming new words, a newly formed word,” from néologie “coining of new words” (from néo- neo- + -logie -logy) + -isme -ism
First Known Use—1772
Neologisms are constantly being added to the English language. With the onset of computer technology over many decades, several neologisms have been added. Webinar, malware, netroots, and blogosphere are just a few examples of modern-day neologisms that have been integrated into American English. The word neologism was itself a brand-new coinage in the latter half of the 18th century when English speakers borrowed the French term néologisme.
The undisputed master of neologisms is William Shakespeare who conjured up more than a thousand words that are first citations in the Oxford English Dictionary. These include auspicious, dwindle, lonely, majestic, and sneak to name a few. Can you imagine creating over 1,000 new words and these new words becoming common language? It’s mind-boggling!
Used in a sentence:
His style includes the employment of neologisms and irony. Her works are noted for displaying an unusual view of the world, poetic expression, foreign words, science terms, and neologisms, creating an alienated society. They are believed to be either neologisms or intentional revival of archaic words.
Neologism used on the web:
For those who seek to reform U.S. foreign policy, the best path may be to send Rhodes’s neologism into retirement.—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2020
During the next coffee break, Crutzen’s neologism was the main topic of conversation.—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
The neologism cannot be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but the word, meaning shadow lover, is used to describe the people who flock across the globe for a chance to see the moon obscure the sun.—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
To this end, the new generation of morticians (another neologism meant to conjure expertise) bought up shambling Victorian mansions in swish residential districts and invented a new form of comfort.—Dan Piepenbring, Harper’s Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
What are some of your favorite neologisms? What neologism would you like to invent and offer to the rest of us? Please submit your experiences or any word you may like to share along with your insights and comments to [email protected].