Dord
Encyclopedia
Dord is a notable error
in lexicography
, an accidental creation, or ghost word
, of the G. and C. Merriam Company
's staff included in the second (1934) edition of its New International Dictionary
, in which the term is defined as "density".
Philip Babcock Gove
, an editor at Merriam-Webster
who became editor-in-chief of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, wrote a letter to the journal American Speech, fifteen years after the error was caught, in which he explained why "dord" was included in that dictionary.
On July 31, 1931, Austin M. Patterson, Webster's chemistry
editor, sent in a slip reading "D or d, cont./density." This was intended to add "density
" to the existing list of words that the letter "D" can abbreviate. The slip somehow went astray, and the phrase "D or d" was misinterpreted as a single, run-together word: Dord. (This was a plausible mistake because headwords on slips were typed with spaces between the letters, making "D or d" look very much like "D o r d".) A new slip was prepared for the printer and a part of speech assigned along with a pronunciation. The would-be word got past proofreaders and appeared on page 771 of the dictionary around 1934.
On February 28, 1939, an editor noticed "dord" lacked an etymology and investigated. Soon an order was sent to the printer marked "plate change/imperative/urgent". In 1940 bound books began appearing without the ghost word
but with a new abbreviation (although inspection of printed copies well into the 1940s show "dord" still present). The non-word "dord" was excised and the definition of the adjacent entry "Doré
furnace" was expanded from "A furnace for refining dore bullion" to "a furnace in which dore bullion is refined" to close up the space. Gove wrote that this was "probably too bad, for why shouldn't dord mean 'density'?"
Lexicographic error
A lexicographic error is an inaccurate entry in a dictionary. Such problems, because they undercut the intention of providing authoritative guidance to readers and writers, attract special attention....
in lexicography
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
, an accidental creation, or ghost word
Ghost word
A ghost word is a meaningless word that came into existence or acceptance, not by being derived through long-standing usage, nor by being coined at need, but only as the result of an error. In the best-known examples such an error will have caused the word to be published in a dictionary or...
, of the G. and C. Merriam Company
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
's staff included in the second (1934) edition of its New International Dictionary
Webster's Dictionary
Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A...
, in which the term is defined as "density".
Philip Babcock Gove
Philip Babcock Gove
Philip Babcock Gove was an American lexicographer who was editor-in-chief of the controversial Webster's Third New International Dictionary, published in 1961....
, an editor at Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
who became editor-in-chief of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, wrote a letter to the journal American Speech, fifteen years after the error was caught, in which he explained why "dord" was included in that dictionary.
On July 31, 1931, Austin M. Patterson, Webster's chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
editor, sent in a slip reading "D or d, cont./density." This was intended to add "density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
" to the existing list of words that the letter "D" can abbreviate. The slip somehow went astray, and the phrase "D or d" was misinterpreted as a single, run-together word: Dord. (This was a plausible mistake because headwords on slips were typed with spaces between the letters, making "D or d" look very much like "D o r d".) A new slip was prepared for the printer and a part of speech assigned along with a pronunciation. The would-be word got past proofreaders and appeared on page 771 of the dictionary around 1934.
On February 28, 1939, an editor noticed "dord" lacked an etymology and investigated. Soon an order was sent to the printer marked "plate change/imperative/urgent". In 1940 bound books began appearing without the ghost word
Ghost word
A ghost word is a meaningless word that came into existence or acceptance, not by being derived through long-standing usage, nor by being coined at need, but only as the result of an error. In the best-known examples such an error will have caused the word to be published in a dictionary or...
but with a new abbreviation (although inspection of printed copies well into the 1940s show "dord" still present). The non-word "dord" was excised and the definition of the adjacent entry "Doré
Dore bar
A doré bar is a semi-pure alloy of gold and silver, usually created at the site of a mine. It is then transported to a refinery for further purification.The proportions of silver and gold can vary widely...
furnace" was expanded from "A furnace for refining dore bullion" to "a furnace in which dore bullion is refined" to close up the space. Gove wrote that this was "probably too bad, for why shouldn't dord mean 'density'?"
See also
- Fictitious entryFictitious entryFictitious entries, also known as fake entries, Mountweazels, ghost word and nihil articles, are deliberately incorrect entries or articles in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and directories. Entries in reference works normally originate from a reliable external source,...
- EsquivalienceEsquivalience"Esquivalience" is a fictitious entry in the New Oxford American Dictionary , which was designed and included to protect copyright of the publication....
- FrindleFrindleFrindle is a 1996 children's novel written by American author Andrew Clements and illustrated by Brian Selznick.Frindle is Clements's first novel. All his previous works had been picture books...
, a children's novel in which a fictitious word passes into common parlance - Boole's ruleBoole's ruleIn mathematics, Boole's rule, named after George Boole, is a method of numerical integration. It approximates an integralby using the values of ƒ at five equally spaced pointsIt is expressed thus Abramowitz and Stegun :...
, a mathematical rule of integration sometimes known as Bode's rule, due to a typo in Abramowitz and StegunAbramowitz and StegunAbramowitz and Stegun is the informal name of a mathematical reference work edited by Milton Abramowitz and Irene Stegun of the U.S. National Bureau of Standards...
(1972, p. 886) that was subsequently propagated